Wine Decanter

[Mike Buckley]

It had been far too long since I had visited Makeshift Studio Galactic Headquarters, so I resolved that issue today.

This crystal decanter is an upcoming Christmas present for friends in dire need of one. (Interpretation: they enjoy wine and don't have a decanter.) I chose this particular decanter because its style will complement their crystal water pitcher; the decanter and pitcher will make a fine pair at the dinner table.

The punt at the base serves three roles: Inserting one's thumb into it makes it easy to hold the decanter while pouring wine into the glass. Pouring wine into the decanter directly onto the top of the punt helps aerate the wine, which is one of the functions of a decanter. Perhaps most important, its shape complements the rest of the decanter and makes it especially desirable to photograph.

[Otavio]

Beautiful light, Mike. The composition looks quite pleasant to my eyes. A very nice image, indeed. Cheers,

[Shadowman]

Very nice.

[chauncey]

Mike, when I looked at this image, I thought that it needs some wine with would mirror the spout.

[Ziggy]

I think you did a great job on this shot, not easy.

[terrib]

It's a beautiful decanter and, as usual, you've done a great image of it.

Thanks also for the explanation. I enjoy wine too but I've never used a decanter. Is this something that is useful for all types of wines?

[Brownbear]

Indeed it's a beautiful decanter, and especially alluring because you photographed it so beautifully, as you always do.

The light is gorgeous! I especially love the lines of the shadows along the decanter, inside the decanter, and also the shadows and highlights seen so beautifully in the reflection (base). The way you captured the punt (inside the decanter) is especially amazing... ie; as one would see it in true life...



I've run out of words to compliment your photography.

[Mike Buckley]

Thanks, everyone!

Terri asked about the usefulness of a decanter. Anyone not interested in that should skip the rest of this post.

Decanting, first and foremost, aerates the wine. This is done by exposing a relatively large surface of the wine to oxygen. That explains whey some decanters are shaped to expose the largest possible surface of wine, such as in this case. Some decanters also initially aerate the wine in the process of pouring the wine into the decanter. The decanter of red wine accessed by the above link makes that happen when I pour the wine into the side of the decanter, hopefully as that photo shows. The decanter displayed in this thread initially aerates the wine when it is poured onto the top of the punt.

The other reason to decant wine is to pour it into a receptacle while leaving the sediment in the bottle. Sediment occurs only in red wine. Personally, if the red wine I am drinking doesn't need aerating, I'll simply pour the wine carefully directly into the glass while leaving the sediment in the bottle. Every once in a while I screw up and the sediment goes into the glass.

The decision to decant or not is very personal. As the most extreme example I have personally encountered, I know a man who happens to have a second home in the middle of a vineyard in the Barolo wine region of Italy and decanting ruins the nose (the aroma) for him. People who don't like the aroma of a particular wine sometimes also will not like its taste, so that's especially understandable. The decision of whether to decant or not also has to do with personal preferences regarding other subtle characteristics of the wine.

Generally, young red wines that seem a bit stringent due to the tannins will "soften" a bit by aerating the wine in a decanter an hour or two. (Wines made of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Tempranillo, Nebbiolo, Syrah/Shiraz and Grenache have relatively more tannins than other wines such as Chianti, Beaujolais Nouveau and Pinot Noir, as just some examples rather than a complete list.) Wines that might be improved by decanting them while they are young may not need decanting if they are at least seven years old or more. I have also noticed that red wine that has relatively high alcohol content, perhaps 15% or more, displays more of the fruit and less of the alcohol if it has been decanted. However, I've never read anything about that.

One of the great wine myths is that only red wine is decanted. As you can see from this photo, I also occasionally decant white wine. The white wine that has some of the most tannins, and thus perhaps is most improved by being decanted, is Chardonnay. If the wine is a big Chardonnay, as opposed to a delicate Chardonnay, I will decant it. Similarly, if I am drinking the Chardonnay before its time (very, very few Chardonnays can't be fully appreciated the day you buy them), I will decant it.

In the end, the decision to decant or not and, if so, how long to decant a particular wine is a highly personal decision that comes only with the experience of learning what works best for you. The only thing I am absolutely certain of is that if you never decant wine, you'll never know if you might prefer a particular wine that has been decanted.

[purplehaze]

What Christina said. I find the clarity rather breathtaking.

[Stagecoach]

It's all been said already Mike but the clarity as Janis has mentioned also stands out to me.

What I also like is the sharpness of the top rim shape contrasting so well with the smooth curves.

[deetheturk]

Great capture Mike!

[FlyingSquirrel]

Lovely image, Mike. I tried my darnedest to find something critical to say, but I could not. Very well done, and thanks for the explanation of the functional aspects of the decanter. Interesting!

[Donald]

Magnificent picture as well as an excellent commentary on the subject of decanting (and yes, it looks an beautiful decanter).

The other reason to decant wine is to pour it into a receptacle while leaving the sediment in the bottle.

On the subject of sediment in a bottle, this is a question about filtration - Should the wine be filtered or not before it is bottled? The vast majority is, because the vast majority of drinkers would be turned off by finding 'bits' in their glass.

But one of the young (though not so young nowadays) firebrands of the Rhone Valley in France, Michel Chapoutier (see below), has been quoted as saying (and look away if you're of a nervous disposition), that drinking filtered wine is like making love wearing a condom!

Well, you have to admit, it's descriptive!

[John 2]

Donald, doubtless what he had in mind is that in both cases you would be taking precautions.

That's a lovely clean image Mike. The absence of distracting highlights says so much for the quality of the lighting set up.

[Mike Buckley]

Continued thanks to everyone!

The growing trend about filtering that Donald mentioned is not to do it. The wineries that don't do it often brag that their wine isn't filtered.

It's easy to do the filtering at home though I never do. Several companies sell wire mesh filters often as part of an aerating device that is placed on top of the decanter though some could also be placed on top of a glass. You simply pour the wine through the filter to ensure that no sediment goes into the glass or decanter.

Some white wine, especially sauvignon blanc, forms crystals once the wine becomes cold enough for that to happen. Unlike sediment commonly experienced with red white, the crystals can't be detected by taste or texture, only by sight. Some wine labels caution the buyer not to be concerned if crystals form in the wine.

[Loose Canon]

A treat to see MSGH back in service Mike!

And a very cool subject you chose for the re-visit.

Beautifully shot as always.

[terrib]

Thanks so much for the explanations, Mike and Donald. I'm way out of my league here. The subtleties are probably lost on me given my habit of constantly trying new wines and then failing to make note of which ones I liked! But it's interesting, nonetheless.

[bnnrcn]

Great shot Mike Nice composition, also sharp and clear. I like the shape of the decanter very much. It hasn't got any patterns on it, very plain and nice.

[Mike Buckley]

One of the great wine myths is that only red wine is decanted.

I wrote that five days ago and am writing this post soon after finishing our Thanksgiving dinner. We drank a white wine, a French Viogner that we had never drunk, that opened up so nicely throughout the course of the meal that it was abundantly clear that we would would have been far better off if we had decanted it. We have one more bottle and we will certainly decant it the next time before drinking it.