How to decant wine

The process of transferring the wine from one container (bottle) to another (decanter) greatly enhances the qualities of almost any wine. Although the process of decanting is recommended for older wines, it can also make younger, less expensive wines come to life.

Decanting wine serves two purposes:

1. It allows you to separate older wines from their sediments, which if left in the wine would impart a bitter, astringent taste.
   
   
2. It allows the wine to slowly come in contact with the air, aerating the wine and making its complex aromas and flavors come to life.
   

Decanting young wines is easy: just pour the wine directly to the decanter and let rest around 15 minutes before serving.

Decanting older wines is slightly more tricky because you must be careful not to pour the sediment.

You start by letting the bottle rest in an upright position for several hours (or even days) so that the sediment collects at the bottom. You then open the bottle and start pouring the wine slowly into a decanter against a good light (you can use a flashlight), to make sure that no sediment is poured.

Towards the end of the bottle the sediment will start creeping up, at which point you must stop pouring. You can either discard the remaining wine or strain it into a wine glass using a coffee filter.

Similar to wine glasses, decanters must be plain and transparent, so you can appreciate the wine. To clean your decanter, use very hot water only (no detergent). You can also use a mixture of crushed ice and salt and rinse with abundant cold water.