Breathing room good for wine, psyche

The word on letting wine "breathe" ranges from "always" to "never" depending on who is at the table.

"Never," instructs French oenologist Emile Peynaud. Whereas oxygen stimulates chemical reactions of wine in the making, these reactions are necessarily complete with bottling, else we'd end up with vin aigre - bitter wine - or, as we call it, vinegar. Exposing newly opened wine to air diffuses aromas without contributing to other sensory attributes and is therefore, logically, to be avoided.

"Always," advises a Master Sommelier friend. She decants whites and reds to dissipate bottle aroma (the generally unpleasant but natural scents developed in a sealed bottle), to warm wine from cold cellar temperatures, to separate wine from any sediment developed in aging, and to nudge the wine into wakefulness after its long sleep.

I, ardent wine lover, see both sides.

Modern wine, advanced by professeur Peynaud, is, in large part, chemically stable, commercially correct and suitable for immediate consumption. With no cellaring, no sediment, no aeration necessary, wine is now as easy, affordable and popular as soda pop.

Still, I have memories: the white Burgundy that transformed in my glass from green apple, to mushroom, to truffles and wild honey in the span of 30 minutes; the Spanish red - rock-hard at first sip - opening throughout dinner to flavors of raspberries, licorice, aged meat and raw silk texture; the Barbaresco, a true vino da meditazione, that morphed during quiet contemplation from mere flavor to an out-of-body experience.

Was it the wine or my perception that changed?

I don't care. With no empirical evidence either way, my position on the benefit of aerating wine will be the same as my position on the tale of Santa Claus: If it's not true, it should be.

If taking a few minutes to allow wine to breathe slows down the pace of modern life, shifts attention from the workday world to simple pleasure, and keeps me at table with family and friends for even a few minutes longer, I'm all for it.

• Master Sommelier and Certified Wine Educator Mary Ross writes Good Wine twice a month. Write her at food@dailyherald.com.