Decanting and Breathing

Generally speaking, people worry about decanting more than is necessary. Few wines actually need to be decanted, and not all red wines need to breathe. But that doesn’t mean you can’t decant them if you want to. A beautiful decanter full of wine is a fine sight and will put your guests in a mood of eager anticipation.

There are two practical reasons for decanting wine. One is to separate the wine from any deposit it may have thrown during its long maturation in the bottle; the other is to allow the wine to aerate or “breathe”.