What do decanters do

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Menu Shopping Cart 5. What is the difference between a wine decanter and carafe? What is a Wine Carafe? Modern Wine Decanter Shapes In recent years, there have been profound changes in how different manufacturers design and produce their decanters. What is the difference between a wine decanter and a carafe?

Good for the traditionalists though! All rights reserved. If you would like to read more about how long wine lasts we have a full reference guide for opened and unopened wine which you can read here. If you have wine that tastes a little like vinegar check out our in-depth article that explains why.

The article can be found here. If you drink red wine and it stains your lips or teeth check out our article which provides 14 full proof ways to help prevent you from looking like a vampire. As mentioned previously one of the main reasons for decanting wine is to add more oxygen to the wine so it is important that you decant your wine correctly.

When transferring the wine from the bottle to the decanter it is important that you pour the wine directly onto the sides of the decanter as you want as much oxygen on the surface of the wine as possible. In addition to pouring the wine onto the sides of the decanter, it is perfectly acceptable to take the decanter by the neck and swirl the wine inside the decanter to expose the surface of the wine to as much oxygen as possible. You are wanting to bring the surface of the wine into as much contact as possible with oxygen so a good swirl will always help!

Another reason for decanting wine is to separate sediment for the wine. Sediment tends to be found in an aged bottle of wine and it does not make for a pleasant experience. When decanting an aged bottle of wine you want to pour the wine gently into the decanter keeping your eye on the neck of the bottle and as soon as you see sediment appear at the neck of the bottle you stop pouring. Yes, it really is that simple! It is always advisable to thoroughly clean and dry your decanter before adding wine.

We always recommend hand-cleaning your decanter to ensure no breakage. A clean decanter will prevent any contamination in the wine and will lead to a better drinking experience. We love these guys and they have put together a great video on decanting. Should you decant beer? Beer should only be decanted if there is sediment in the beer. You decant beer to remove the sediment from the beer so the beer is drinkable. A decanter is not actually required to remove the sediment from beer as you can use your beer glass and stop pouring when you see the sediment appear in the neck of the bottle.

Another aspect of decanting beer is the loss of carbonation. We recommend only decanting beer if you need to remove sediment, otherwise decanting is not always necessary as you can use your glass. So, if you have an antique lead crystal decanter, what will you do?

The alcohol will cause the lead to leach but it will take at least 24 hours to do so. If you must use your antique lead crystal decanter , it is best to keep it to a minimum, say, 6 hours at a time. This will limit the amount of leached lead if it indeed had leached during that period.

Research shows that a glass of wine served in a lead crystal glass has lower lead content than the US FDA standard of mg per liter in beverages. We may be drinking more lead from our water than we know. For safety purposes and peace of mind, however, have your antique crystal decanter tested for lead levels. Until then, it may be your best option to just keep your antique crystal decanter in the display rack.

For wines, the best decanter to use is the circular ones as it allows the air inside to move freely and do its job. It should have a wide neck of the bottle to allow more air at the least possible time. A good decanter should have done its job of aerating the wine, softening the tannins, releasing the aromas, and separating the sediments from the bottom of the bottle of wine in an hour or less.

Other wine experts, though, prefer to decant wine for at least 2 hours. A shorter neck of the bottle and a large bowl also help the decanter to achieve its purpose in a shorter time. It is good to note that the type of red wine might also influence the shape of the decanter that you need. For light-bodied red, rose, and white wine, a small decanter is enough.

Even a small air space would do to suffice the need to aerate the wine. Light-bodied wines include Pinot Noir and Beaujolais. These wines are good after about 30 minutes of decanting. For medium-bodied wines, a medium decanter is needed so there is more surface area for the air to move. The medium decanter can be used to serve Merlot, Sangiovese, Dolcetti, and Grenache. For full-bodied wines like Cabernet Sauvignon, Petite Sirah, and Tannat, a large-bowled decanter will provide more surface area for the aeration.

These wines take at least 1 hour. Old red wines, depending on the style, may also take 2 hours or longer of decanting and are best served using the large-bowled decanters. If it seems the notes become more muted as your wine spends more time in the open air, you know to decant that vintage less next time. Wine decanting is often used for older wines because over time wines develop sediment. It usually has a gritty texture with not much flavor. When the sediment reaches the neck of the bottle, stop pouring.

Give your decanted wine a moment to rest and let any stray sediment fall to the bottom of your wine carafe, then enjoy! Apart from separating wine from sediment, the point of decanting your wine is to expose it to the oxygen in the air. A decanter with a very narrow neck and modest base is going to limit the amount of oxygen that touches your wine.

On the other hand, a large wine decanter with a wide base and fanned opening will allow more oxygen to mingle with those tannins. I recommend decanting everything -- even white wine, if you feel like it.