The idea of decanting brings images of blue
bloods standing around a cocktail table with
dozens of beautiful crystal bottles staring back
at them. I used to think that people decanted
their wine just to look "fancy". This may be
true for some, but the real reason that wine
began being decanted is because there was no
filtration system in place for wine back in the
day. The wine that would be poured from the
barrel would contain a considerable amount of
sediment and a system needed to be put in place
to remove this before drinking. Now most of our
wines are filtered to a very clear state and we
don't have to decant to remove sediment but do
it to enhance flavor prior to drinking.
When to decant wine?
1. Decant if your wine has sediment - Wines
deposit sediment as a natural part of aging,
some more than others. Decanting the wine can
help to separate the clear wine from the
sediment. Decanting the wine also introduces air
into the wine - letting the wine breathe -
releasing the aromas and enhancing flavors,
particularly useful for red wines that are a
little harsh.
2. If your wine has been aging for a long time -
Decanting old wines, just prior to serving,
helps to ensure that the wines' clarity and
brilliance are not obscured by any deposit that
may have developed over time (pour slowly and
avoid decanting the last ounce).
3. If your wine if very young - Decant young
wines as much as several hours before they are
served to give the wine a chance to breath,
simulating a stage of development that might
normally be acquired after years of aging (pour
quickly, even up-ending the bottle - the idea is
to expose the wine to air).
4. Just for fun! - I like to decant just to see
if mine wine in the decanter tastes different
than the wine I poured right out of the bottle.
Why not! Decanters are also pretty so if you are
having a party why not show them off. Just don't
keep them sitting out for too long.
How to Decant Wine?
How to Decant Aged Wine
For old wines with sediment one needs to be very
careful when pouring the wine into a decanter.
First, stand the bottle up for several hours to
allow the sediment to settle at the bottom. Fine
sediment will take longer to settle to the
bottom of the bottle.
Use a lit candle or lamp if you can't see where
the sediment is in the bottle. Hold the bottle
of wine so that the area just below the neck of
the wine bottle can be seen through the light
while pouring. Ever so slowly begin pouring the
aged wine into the decanter. Be patient. Hold
the bottle as much as possible perpendicular to
the candle. As the last one-third of the wine is
poured, carefully watch for sediment. Stop
pouring when any sediment appears in the neck of
the bottle.
How to Decant Young Red Wine
For young red wines, splash the wine into the
decanter. The more it splashes into the
decanter, the more it comes in contact with
oxygen. Let the wine settle and rest for a short
time.
How Long to decant?
If you are decanting your wine in order to let
it breathe you will usually want it to sit in
the decanter 1/2 hour to 1 hour before drinking.
Your goal is for the wine to be giving off
aromas. If it's not releasing flavors into the
air, it's going to taste still and blah. There
is however a point where you can let your wine
decant too long. You would not want your wine to
sit out at room temperature for 8 hours or more.
At this point the wine will be come oxidized and
begin to taste more like vinegar and/or sherry.
Remember, back in the old says wine was kept at
about 50 degrees so being at 70+ for a
substantial amount of time would be bad for the
wine.
What Kind of Decanter?
Wine decanter design varies from the purely
function to extravagantly decorated, but
sometimes unusual design and functionality can
go hand-in-hand as in the Orbital Decanter that,
when removed from its base, will sit elegantly
on your table while a gentle orbital movement
increases the breathing of your wine with
minimal disturbance. But the basic point of the
decanter is to let air into the wine and to
remove the sediment so whichever type you prefer
is the one you should chose. There really is no
right or wrong decanter.
Of course, you can always let your wine breathe
by just taking the cork out of the bottle, but
very little air touches the surface and it will
take much longer to achieve the desired effect.
Some experts prefer to let wine breathe in the
wineglass but I personally find it hard to wait
patiently once it's been poured.
About The Author
Jennifer de Jong is a long time wine drinker,
enjoyer of wine, and non-wine-snob. She is the
founder of Vino Vixenz. A snob-free zone to
learn wine tasting.
http://www.vinovixenz.com
Are you looking forward to pair your favorite
meal with a good quality wine, then you require
to have an extensive knowledge about pairing the
wine and food in a correct order. In case, you
fail to do so, you will spoil the whole fun. In
fact you would be spoiling the taste of the best
quality wine and the best food item.
The bad qualities you may introduce via pairing
wine and food in an incorrect form include extra
sweetness, bitterness, alcoholic properties and
non-desirable metallic flavors.
You can easily adopt several foolproof methods
to pair food and wine in correct form. First and
foremost, you should remember that the food and
wine you want to pair should have similar
characteristics. You should think of a porter if
you want to have red wine in your lunch or
dinner. The reason is that both these items have
strong flavors. You should not mix and pair food
and wine that consist of characteristics
different from each other. Most people try to
pair sweet wine with steak and end up getting
undesirable results.
Mixing wine and food of different
characteristics will prove to be a very bad
experience for you. Proper pairing will work
towards providing a distinct and pleasant
element to your overall wining and dining
experience.
Experts believe that wine with citrus taste will
go well with chicken laced with butter and
garlic sauce. You would simply love the outcome.
You should follow certain rules before starting
off to prepare new dishes for wines with high
alcohol flavor. High alcohol flavored wines
should be combined with barbecued dishes such as
barbecued meats. If you happen to pair your
favorite wine with light flavored dish, then
chances are that wine will overpower the dish.
You will end up feeling that you have been just
having a glass of wine for so long.
In case, you like wines that consist of a lot of
tannin, then you should pair them with dishes
rich in salt or protein content.
You can also enjoy desert wine via mixing sweet
wine with your favorite dessert that is sweet in
moderate amount. Do not look for sweets that
have too much sugar content. This will over
seventeen your dish.
You should also trust you own instincts prior to
combining foods and wines together. Try to
figure out what you want to drink and eat.
Thereafter, slip some wine and take a bite of
the food you have prepared in order to figure
out what will suit your taste buds.
You should not go for wine that you don’t like
or a dish you have never tried before.
Experimenting is good but don’t try to go for
anything that may provide you bad taste.
Best food and wine pairings result from a lot of
research and experiment. You should learn a lot
about wine, different types of cuisines and the
results these provide when in combination. You
would definitely be able to make great pairs if
you make some efforts towards research work.
About The Author
Jack Wells is a wine enthusiast
and regularly publishes wine reviews on
http://www.winehappy.com
- a wine social network. Hit him up and add him
as your friend!
Summertime, with it's sweltering heat and heavy
air, does something to a wine drinker's palate.
We no longer crave a tannic rich Cabernet, for
example. They tend to make us warm. During the
hot months, wine drinkers tend to crave wines
high in acidity. These ivlier wines tend to be
more cleansing and refreshing. So, put away your
Merlots and Cabernets for the Summer, and join
us for a tour of some delightful summer
substitutes.
No question about it, we Americans love our
Champagne! We drank about 35 million gallons of
it in 2006. This figure represents about a 20%
increase from 2001. We would probably drink alot
more of it, but it's price has risen right along
with it's popularity. An excellent, economical
substitute is a prose co from the Veneto region
of Italy. Prose co comes extra dry, or brut,
which is drier still. Heavy, creamy dishes such
as fettuccine Alfredo, complement the lively, dry
quality of prose co. Prose co tends to cut through
the oiliness and richness of Salmon or even an
avocado. Prose co leaves us cleansed and
refreshed, and eager for the next bite!
Though sometimes a little too sweet, Spanish
Cavas are a great, bubbly alternative to
champagne. Extremely affordable, most cavas are
under 20 dollars. Most Cavas are made west of
Barcelona, in northeastern Spain. Cavas are
generally sparkling wines, however once in
awhile you'll run across a rose. With aromas
ranging from apple to lemon, Cavas are one of
the main reasons that Spain is rapidly ascending
in prominence in the world of wines.
Although only slightly effervescent, Portugal's
Vinho verde still qualifies as a choice
alternative to Champagne and an excellent summer
wine. Featuring a delicate lightness and a lower
alcohol content, Vinho Verde is perfect for
hot, summer days when the tendency is to consume
your wine a little more quickly. Perfect for
many types of foods, Vinho Verde is usually
quite fruity, with citrus being the most common.
Generally a young wine, Vinho Verde has earned
the nickname "green" wine.
Beacause it lacks the harsh tannins of a
Cabernet, the full bodied spirit of a Grenache
is a good summer choice. Although most associate
a Grenache from France or Australia, Grenache is
grown in abundance in the Priorat region of
Spain. Grenache typically conveys accents of
dark fruits such as black plums or raspberries.
California, too has it's share of Grenache.
Interesting enough, Grenache complements a good
old fashioned burger as well as anything else!
In finishing our round-up of great summer wines,
we still have a few more that deserve mention.
Sauvignon blanc, particularly from New Zealand,
is a great summer choice. It features just the
right amount of acidity combined with the
goodness of gooseberry and grapefruit. The ever
popular pinot grigio, especially from Italy is
clean and wonderfully refreshing! A little less
well known is a Gruner Veltliner from Austria.
Gruners are wonderfully crisp and thirst
quenching. They are bone dry and are frequently
laced with green apple.
Needless to say, we have left out somebody's
favorite summer wine. For that we are sorry.
Hopefully we have included some wines that will
make this summer perfect for discovering new
favorites
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About The Author
Michael Hutchins is a noted lecturer on the
subject of entertaining in your home. He is a
respected wine enthusiast and self admitted "
party animal."Michael has created his online
store,
http://www.home-bars-and-more.com to provide
"one stop" shopping for all your home bar needs.
The store features a remarkable variety of home
bars, bar stools, wine racks, and lots of bar
accessories. Why not visit right now!
