A little luxury, and other reasons to decant wine

For a peek at wine history, consider one word: decant. Once, every wine needed decanting; today, not so much. But in exchange for convenience, are we giving up pleasure?

Once upon a time

To decant means to pour liquid from one container into another, leaving behind other liquids and solid matter, such as pouring cream off milk, oil off water and wine off sediment. (In financial terms, decanting means “pouring” assets from one trust into another.) Before the mixed blessing of wine filtration, folks avoided drinking sediment — including yeast cells used in fermentation, bugs and other random objects that fell into the fermenting vat — by decanting. Even Champagne was decanted, until the 1800s when the ‘widow’ Clicquot (or ‘Veuve’ Clicquot as emblazoned on her label) figured out how to remove the gunk while leaving the bubbles behind.

Today, nearly all wine is filtered. While filtration is decried for stripping out authentic flavor, producers rightfully assume that gritty wine, as well bottles exploding from refermenting microbial activity, would put a real damper on sales.

Give it some air

Aeration is another reason for decanting. Like you and me after a long sleep, wine enjoys an oxygen-rich yawn and stretch after sleeping in the bottle.

“Decanting is the easiest way to wake a wine up,” says Madeline Triffon, Director of Events for Plum Market and our country’s first female Master Sommelier (MS), “coaching it to show us what it’s got in a short period of time. For reds coming from temperature-controlled storage, pouring wine out of a bottle raises the temperature a few degrees, softening the tannins.”

For fine wines with cellar aging, Triffon advises “standing those bottles up gently for several hours and decanting in one, slow smooth movement separates the potentially bitter residue, keeping the color clear and attractive.”

When Triffon coached me during my MS exam process, I was surprised she advised that “young, cold whites benefit from decanting too, though leaving the wine in your glass for several minutes will do the trick,” granted you have the discipline not to sneak sips.

Little luxuries

The final reason to decant, and what I fear our modern wine scene is forfeiting, is the unique pleasure found in wine.

Most wine today is crafted for immediate enjoyment, reflecting our modern time crunch. But the convenience of “pop ’n’ pour” is like listening to Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony, but only the opening strings. What’s lost is pleasure in the development, the subtleties, the nuances in the music and the wine.

Fast casual dining is another necessity of our times. What’s fading is the source of the word restaurant, from the Latin restaurare, meaning “to renew” or “restore.” How restored do you feel eating dinner out of a Styrofoam box?

Triffon urges servers and sommeliers in all restaurants that service techniques, including decanting, show personal attention, making each guest feel special. So why not make yourself feel special in the comfort of your own home?

Treat yourself

Decanters are designed to amplify a wine’s appearance, but a squeaky-clean, glass container such as a carafe or even a vase will do. Because there is probably no sediment, pour your wine from the bottle into the container. Swirl the container and give the wine a good sniff, like smelling a beautiful flower. After five or 10 minutes, pour a few ounces into your glass. (If a large container isn’t convenient, pour straight into the wine glass.) Swirl, sniff and notice any changes, nuances and subtleties in aroma. Repeat as often as interest, patience or thirst allow.

Sure, I come across wines with no development and those that take a downward turn in the glass. These, I don’t repurchase. If I’m investing my dollars, my calories and my energy, I choose wines that interest, maybe mystify — “What am I smelling?” — and please me over time. Because isn’t that today’s biggest luxury of all — time?

• Mary Ross is an Advanced Sommelier (Court of Master Sommeliers), a Certified Wine Educator (Society of Wine Educators) and a recipient of Wine Spectator’s “Grand Award of Excellence.” Write to her at food@dailyherald.com.