Decanting wine
step by step
First determine why you are doing it. If it is about the sediment in an old bottle, stand it upright a day in advance, or for at least two hours, so the sediment settles to the bottom. If it is about giving air to a young, full-bodied wine, standing it upright makes no difference and you can proceed immediately.
Carefully pull the cork from an old bottle without tilting or shaking the bottle. An old cork is often crumbly; a two-pronged corkscrew or an Ah-So opener reduces the chance of crumbs ending up in the wine. Wipe the neck clean afterward.
Decanting to leave the sediment behind: pour slowly and in one continuous motion, with a candle or small lamp behind the neck, so you can see when the first dark streak comes through. Stop there and leave the last bit at the bottom of the bottle. Hold the decanter at an angle against the neck so the wine does not splash and absorbs hardly any air.
Carafing to give it air: pour in a vigorous stream right into the middle of a wide decanter, so the wine splashes against the glass and absorbs as much oxygen as possible. Then pour into the glass to about one-third full, leaving room to swirl.
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The story
Decanting and carafing are often used interchangeably, and that's because the process seems the same: pouring wine from the bottle into a glass jug. The difference lies in the purpose. Decanting literally means pouring off: you separate the clear wine from the sediment that has formed in the bottle over the years, and that only works if you pour calmly and in one go. Carafing is about oxygen: a young wine with lots of tannins becomes rounder and more open when exposed to air, so you want to let the wine slosh around. The two therefore require opposite movements, which is why it is useful to keep them separate.
The right glass
For aerating wine, you want a decanter with a wide, flat bowl, because the wine's surface area determines how much oxygen it takes in. For an old wine, you want the opposite: a narrow shape with little surface area, preferably with a stopper on top. Both extremes can be found among the decanters, while a simple jug without a spout can be found among the carafes. A decanter sold as a sediment decanter is not available in this selection. Choice 02 below comes closest with its straight sides and airtight stopper, although the product description primarily presents it as suitable for spirits and premixed cocktails.
RCR Invino Decanter 200 cl
Luigi Bormioli Mixology Decanter 75 cl With Airtight Stopper
Both sets together € 59,90.
The right tools
For a wine decanter, besides the glassware, you mainly need a corkscrew that leaves an old cork intact, and for cleaning, a brush and drying stand from the wine accessories section. The bar tools below only come into play when the decanter is used for sangria or a spritz: a bar spoon for stirring the pitcher and a jigger for measuring. These are the bar tools we use ourselves; you can find everything in our bar tools & cocktail sets.
Glass set (our choice 01) + 2 bar tools together € 63,85.
Which wine goes with this?
Not every bottle benefits from a decanter. Below, for each type, you can see whether decanting helps, whether it is better to leave only the sediment behind, or whether you should leave the bottle alone. On each drink page, you can read the alcohol percentage, what it tastes like, which cocktails pair well with it, and which glass you need.
Variations & twists
Swirling the wine in the glass does some of the same work, but not all of it. In the glass, it takes a few minutes and involves a thin layer of wine; in a wide decanter, an entire bottle has much more surface area exposed to the air. So for a young, full-bodied wine, the decanter is clearly more effective, while swirling is enough for a freshly poured glass. An old wine can fade quickly in a decanter: sometimes it is at its best after twenty minutes and flat an hour later. Read more? View all drinks and brands.
Servingtip
Put the decanter on the table and pour from there, so you can see how the wine changes over time. Empty the decanter immediately afterward and rinse it with lukewarm water without soap, because soap residue lingers in the smell. If you cannot reach it with a brush, leave it filled with warm water overnight. Then place it upside down on a drying rack or tea towel, because a decanter that remains upright with moisture inside will start to smell musty.
Good to know
The difference between decanting and aerating
Decanting means pouring off: you pour the clear wine away from the sediment and leave the final residue in the bottle. This is relevant for old wine, unfiltered wine and vintage port. Aerating means giving the wine air: you deliberately pour it into a broad decanter with a splash so that it takes in oxygen, and this is relevant for young wine with lots of tannin. In one case you want as little air as possible; in the other, as much as possible. In everyday speech, both are called decanting, but the actions are opposites.
Which wines benefit and which do not
Decanting for aeration helps with young red wine with firm tannins and full-bodied white wine that still smells closed. Decanting to remove sediment helps with old red wine, vintage port and unfiltered wine, because they really do contain sediment. Leave sparkling wine alone: in a decanter, the bubbles disappear within a few minutes. Light white wine, rosé and fresh, light red wine usually gain nothing from it and mainly become too warm in a decanter.
How long to let it stand
For a young, robust wine, half an hour to two hours in a broad decanter is common; taste it along the way, because that is the only way to know when it has reached the point you want. For an old wine, the opposite applies: decant it and pour it shortly afterward. Such a bottle may be at its best after twenty minutes and then become flat again just as quickly.
Why an old wine can fade quickly
A wine that has spent years in the bottle has seen almost no oxygen all that time. If it suddenly comes into contact with a lot of air, the aging process continues in a short time from where it left off in the bottle. This can turn out beautifully, but it can also go too far. That is why you should decant an old bottle slowly, into a narrow decanter with little surface area, and not leave it ready for hours in advance.
Cleaning and drying a decanter
Rinse immediately after use with lukewarm water and no soap; soap residue lingers in the smell and you will taste it the next time. If there is a red stain, fill the decanter with warm water overnight, optionally adding a handful of rice or purpose-made cleaning beads that you swirl around. A long, flexible brush reaches into the bowl; a straight brush does not. Then let the decanter drain upside down on a drying rack, because moisture left at the bottom will start to smell musty.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between decanting and aerating?
Decanting is pouring off the clear wine so that the sediment remains in the bottle. You do this with an old wine: slowly and with as little air as possible. Aerating is exposing the wine to oxygen so that a young wine with lots of tannin becomes rounder. You do this with a splashing stream into a wide decanter. In everyday speech, both are called decanting, but their purpose is opposite.
Which wine should you decant?
Decanting to remove sediment is necessary for old red wine, vintage port and unfiltered wine. Decanting to aerate helps with young red wine with firm tannins and sometimes with a full-bodied white that still smells closed. Sparkling wine should not go in a decanter, because the bubbles disappear. Light white wine and rosé usually gain nothing from it.
How long should wine stay in the decanter?
A young, full-bodied wine usually spends half an hour to two hours in a wide decanter; taste it along the way to determine when it has had enough. An old wine should be decanted and then poured out quickly, because it can go from beautiful to flat within an hour. There is no fixed time that works for every bottle.
Does swirling wine in the glass have the same effect as decanting?
Partly. Swirling also introduces air to the wine, but in a glass it involves a thin layer of wine and a few minutes, whereas in a decanter an entire bottle has much more surface area exposed to the air. For a glass that has just been poured, swirling is enough. For a young bottle that really needs to open up, the decanter is clearly more effective.
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