Journal · · 4 min read
Do you really need a decanter?
What a decanter is actually for, when it helps, when it doesn't, and the simpler ways to give a young wine some air before dinner.
A decanter on the table looks lovely. It is also one more fragile thing to wash, dry and find room for. So do you need one? It depends on what you drink and how you like to host.
What a decanter does
A decanter has two jobs. The first is separating sediment. Some older red wines and unfiltered wines throw a fine deposit in the bottle. Pouring slowly into a decanter, and stopping when the sediment reaches the neck, leaves it behind.
The second job is giving wine air. Pouring wine into a wide vessel exposes more of it to oxygen. Many people find that a young, tight red tastes more open after some time in a decanter. How much difference it makes is a matter of taste, and people who drink a lot of wine disagree about it. The easiest way to find out what you think is a simple test: pour two glasses from the same bottle, decant one, and taste them side by side.
When a decanter is worth it
- You often open older bottles that may have sediment.
- You like the ritual and have time to decant before guests arrive.
- You have space to store it and don't mind hand-washing it.
When you can skip it
Most everyday wines don't have sediment, and many are made to be enjoyed right after opening. If you just want to give a glass some air, there are simpler ways:
- Open the bottle a little earlier and pour the first glasses well before you sit down.
- Swirl in the glass. A glass filled about a third of the way leaves room to swirl.
- Use a pour-through aerator, a small device that mixes air into the wine as it pours.
The one-hand option
If the moment you dread is pouring for a full table, an electric aerator is another option. It sits in the bottle and pours at the press of a button, aerating as it pours. It won't remove sediment, so it isn't a replacement for a decanter with an old bottle. It is a small, easy-to-store tool for pouring an everyday bottle while you keep talking to your guests.
Our take
If you love the ritual, buy a decanter you like looking at. If you mostly drink younger, everyday wines and want less fuss, open the bottle a little early, pour into roomy glasses, and use whatever pouring tool makes hosting easier. Please enjoy responsibly, and only if you're 21 or older.
By June Finds. We sell some of the things mentioned here, and we link to them where they fit.
