Wine and oxygen are compelling dance partners, but they can also be worst enemies.
Wine needs oxygen to show off its aromas and to open up some compounds stored deep in the bottle. Certain wines, though, do benefit from a moderate amount of oxygen after they are opened. Younger, deeper red wines with higher tannin levels are prime candidates.
Decanting is the best way to introduce oxygen into a wine, as the physical shape of most decanters allows for maximum contact between the air and the wine. Decanting is simply storing wine in an open vessel other than a bottle to increase contact with oxygen.
Decanting is simply storing wine in an open vessel other than a bottle to increase contact with oxygen.
Not only does this process let the wine breathe as discussed above, but it also can help remove or displace the sediment commonly found in older red wines. There are numerous theories on how long a wine should decant, but an hour or so is usually sufficient to bring out the aromas.
Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon are excellent examples of wine that can benefit from decanting. Some other types of wine, such as port and madeira, even require oxygen as a key ingredient, and these wines are considered at their best when they are oxidized. Other wines, such as sauvignon blanc or pinot gris, don’t hold up well with a great deal of breathing. Regardless of the wine, exposure to oxygen will alter the aroma profile when compared to a freshly opened bottle.