Decanting Wine: When, Why and How to Let It Breathe

A wine allowed to breathe tells you more about itself: decanting is a small ceremony that turns a good wine into a great experience – if you know when and how.

Why Decant at All?

Decanting serves two purposes. First, aeration: through contact with oxygen, closed aromas open up, hard tannins soften and the wine seems rounder and more harmonious. Second, separating the sediment: in old, mature reds, a deposit forms over the years, which you gently leave behind in the bottle. The two goals call for different approaches – and that is where it gets interesting.

Young Wine Versus Old Wine

The key difference: young, powerful wines need air, old ones need caution. A young Barolo, Cabernet or Amarone benefits from vigorous decanting with plenty of oxygen – happily an hour or two ahead. A fragile old wine, by contrast, tolerates too much air poorly; here you decant only to separate the sediment, and serve promptly. When in doubt: the younger and more powerful, the more air.

Wines That Love Decanting

• Del Conte Barolo DOCG – the king of wines from Piedmont: powerful and tannic. An hour or two in the decanter lets its fruit and elegance blossom.
• Zenato Amarone della Valpolicella Classico DOCG – a powerful wine full of concentration. Decanting opens its aromas of dried cherry and chocolate and softens its force.
• Carol's Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley – a dense, young Cabernet with firm tannins. Aeration makes it suppler and lets the cassis fruit shine.

How to Decant Properly

Stand the bottle upright a few hours beforehand, so the sediment gathers at the bottom. Open it carefully and pour the wine slowly and steadily into the decanter – ideally against a light source, so you can see when the sediment reaches the shoulder of the bottle. There you stop. For young wines, choose a broad decanter with a large surface; for old ones, a slimmer vessel.

A Matter of Pleasure

Not every wine needs decanting – light whites and easy everyday wines do fine without. But for a great young red, the small effort is always worth it. Give it time, watch how it changes in the glass, and you will taste the difference: more depth, more harmony, more pleasure.

Discover our selection of great red wines that benefit from decanting. Free shipping from CHF 99 throughout Switzerland and to Liechtenstein.