Decanting wine: when it helps and when it hurts

The two real reasons

Opening up a young, closed wine

A young red with a lot of structure sometimes comes out of the bottle tight: barely any aroma, and all tannin in the mouth. Contact with air loosens it. Here the decanter is a tool, not an ornament.

Separating the sediment in an old wine

Over the years, sediment forms at the bottom. It is harmless, but it clouds the glass and tastes bitter. Here you decant carefully and without stirring — the exact opposite of the case above.

⚠️ The two cases call for opposite movements: one wants air, the other wants stillness. Decanting «because that is what you do» mixes them and achieves neither.

When NOT to decant

An old, delicate red. This is the expensive mistake. A wine with many years behind it can be holding its aroma together by a thread, and half an hour of air leaves it flat. If you are decanting it for the sediment, serve it immediately.
A white or a sparkling wine. With sparkling it is obvious: you lose the bubbles. With whites, what you gain in aroma you almost always lose in freshness.
A light, fruity red. It is good exactly as it pours. Airing it only strips the fruit.

If you do not have a decanter

Pour a glass and leave it a few minutes: the glass aerates surprisingly well, because the surface in contact with air is large relative to the volume. Another option is to pour the wine into a second container once — what people call a home double decant. A clean glass jug does the job perfectly; the crystal decanter is pretty, not essential.

And the simplest trick of all: if you are unsure, taste the first glass right after opening and another half an hour later. That comparison teaches you more about that specific wine than any general rule — and tells you whether your bottle needed air at all.

Before decanting, you have to choose

Decanting is decided bottle by bottle. Cru-Zu solves the decision before that one: which of yours to open tonight. Free up to 15 bottles, on iPhone, iPad and Mac.

Download Cru-Zu on the App Store

Frequently asked questions

Should every red wine be decanted?

No. It mainly helps young reds with a lot of structure that are closed when you open them. A light, fruity red does not need it, and a very old one can lose aroma if it gets too much air.

How long should you decant a wine?

It depends on the wine. For a young, structured red, 30 to 60 minutes is usually enough. The way to know is to taste a glass on opening and another one a while later.

Can you decant without a decanter?

Yes. Pouring a glass and waiting a few minutes already aerates a fair amount, and a clean glass jug does the same job as a crystal decanter.

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