Should You Let Your Wine Breathe? Aerating Made Simple
“Let the wine breathe,” they say. What does this even mean?
Letting the wine breathe – is it a gimmick? Putting wine into a decanter – is that just showing off? We’ve got answers for you as we take a closer look at aerating and decanting wine.
What Is Aerating?
This process of letting your wine breathe applies to reds only, especially younger, full-bodied reds. First off, wine needs to be exposed to air to smooth out the tannins and reach their full potential with taste and aroma. This process is called oxidation. Some oxidation occurs even by just opening the bottle, but you might want more. And then, you have the evaporation part of the process after opening the bottle.
As the wine begins to evaporate, some of the not-so-desirable elements of the wine fade away, leaving behind the good stuff. In aerating, this oxidation and evaporation combination is a smoother, better tasting, more aromatic wine. It lets you experience the subtleties the winemaker intended. It’s important to point out that aerating for a more extended period isn’t always better.
The best thing to do is to aerate right before serving. Too much oxidation can make the wine have more of a vinegar-like taste.
How Do I Aerate My Wine?
You can swirl it around in the glass. (Hint: pour just a little more than a sip of your wine into the glass so that you won’t spill when you swirl.)
A more effective way is to use an aerator such as this AeraWine bottle-top aerator. Aerators send the wine through a funnel of pressurized oxygen to speed up the process.
Or you can go high-tech with this Aervana electrical device.
What Does it Mean to Decant Wine?
You can also decant your wine to aerate it. This process is pouring the wine while leaving behind any sediment at the bottom of the bottle.
You can pour the wine while keeping an eye on the bottle and stop short of getting any of the sediment into the glass. But pouring this way won’t aerate the wine.
A decanter is a great way to aerate your wine while leaving the sediment behind. Using a decanter with a large base allows more oxygen to the wine than just leaving it to breathe in the bottle.
This Le Chateau wine decanter is beautifully designed and reasonably priced. Be careful with decanting - some people love it so much they collect decanters and struggle to continue to find room for them!
You can enjoy most wines after decanting for a short while, like around 15-20 minutes.
