wineismylife
Arlington, TX
Master of Wine
Posts:12003
 | | 03/21/2003 11:33 PM |
| Now that I have your attention!
When you decant, do you use a decanter that has a stopper or no stopper? Do you switch between the two methods depending on the wine, age, etc...? Why use one style and not another? | |
Joe
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Wine is like potato chips around me...if it's open, it's gone. | |
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JonesWineNo1
Sommelier
Posts:8568
| | 03/21/2003 11:38 PM |
| | No stopper unless it is very young vintage port. | | | |
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ChangeMe
Master of Wine
Posts:11169
| | 03/21/2003 11:44 PM |
| | I only use a stopper if we're travelling with the decanted wine. | | | |
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wineismylife
Arlington, TX
Master of Wine
Posts:12003
| | 03/21/2003 11:48 PM |
| | Even when you are decanting for a long period of time, say 4 hours? | |
Joe
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Wine is like potato chips around me...if it's open, it's gone. | |
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JonesWineNo1
Sommelier
Posts:8568
| | 03/21/2003 11:59 PM |
| | Yes - although I am not an adherent of the "leave the wine in the decanter forever" brigade. I rarely decant a wine longer than a few hours. Overall, I believe extended decanting harms more wine then helps. "The wine finally opened with the last glass" comments have more to do with intoxication than aeration. | | | |
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ChangeMe
Master of Wine
Posts:11169
| | 03/22/2003 12:01 AM |
| | To me, the idea of decanting a young wine (I don't need or want to decant an old wine for four hours.), is to aerate it and allow it to oxidize a little. I might, on a whim, use a stopper occasionally, but there's no real reason for it. | | | |
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wineismylife
Arlington, TX
Master of Wine
Posts:12003
| | 03/22/2003 12:05 AM |
| | I generally decant young wines 1-1 1/2 hours to help the wine open prior to serving -OR- older bordeaux to remove sediment and serve immediately. What I haven't been doing is leaving the stopper out. Blew that one. | |
Joe
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Wine is like potato chips around me...if it's open, it's gone. | |
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ChangeMe
Master of Wine
Posts:11169
| | 03/22/2003 12:10 AM |
| | wiml, I believe that 1-1 1/2 hours can be too much for a Cab or Merlot and insufficient for a Pinot Noir. I never used to decant for very long, but yound PNs need a lot of time to open. I experimented with the '99 Martinelli Reserve and found it needs three hours. | | | |
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wineismylife
Arlington, TX
Master of Wine
Posts:12003
| | 03/22/2003 12:14 AM |
| Well I have been leaving the stopper in!
I've talked to a few people whos opinions I respect and they say they decant CA CAB, Merlot, etc... 30 minutes, period. Young Bordeaux 2 hours. GOOD Pinot 3 hours.
Sound reasonable? | |
Joe
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Wine is like potato chips around me...if it's open, it's gone. | |
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love_cab_chard
Master of Wine
Posts:12349
| | 03/22/2003 12:17 AM |
| Damn, this is about Wine. And, I was hoping bases on the Title... 
No stopper. | | | |
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wineismylife
Arlington, TX
Master of Wine
Posts:12003
| | 03/22/2003 12:19 AM |
| I have decanted topless, but you wouldn't want to see it! | |
Joe
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Wine is like potato chips around me...if it's open, it's gone. | |
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JonesWineNo1
Sommelier
Posts:8568
| | 03/22/2003 12:36 AM |
| | Save for the Pinot, those times look reasonable to me. Burgundians do not decant Pinot. I will decant young ones but after that I pour them. | | | |
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David Niederauer
Los Gatos, CA
Master Sommelier
Posts:15708
| | 03/22/2003 12:43 AM |
| Throw away all your tops. (And burn your bras too!)
I never put the top on a decanter. If I am taking something out to a restaurant I decant, let stand, and then pour it back into the rinsed out bottle and recork.
If the wine will still be good for another day I do the same.
Other than that just decant and leave standing open until ready to drink.
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wineismylife
Arlington, TX
Master of Wine
Posts:12003
| | 03/22/2003 12:44 AM |
| | Thanks for the feedback everybody. You taught an old dog a new trick. | |
Joe
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Wine is like potato chips around me...if it's open, it's gone. | |
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ChangeMe
Master of Wine
Posts:12891
| | 03/22/2003 1:48 AM |
| | i never use a stopper. i usually decant young cali cabs at least 2 hrs with periodic tastings in between. | | | |
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Bob Bressler
Napa Valley
Wine Lover
Posts:4809
| | 03/22/2003 3:10 AM |
| | I spoke to a decanter manufacturer who told me they made the stoppers to keep dust out in between uses. He couldn't understand why people would use it any other way. | | | |
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ChangeMe
Master of Wine
Posts:11169
| | 03/22/2003 3:54 AM |
| | Just to keep the wine from splashing out during transporting. | | | |
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David Niederauer
Los Gatos, CA
Master Sommelier
Posts:15708
| | 03/22/2003 4:16 AM |
| BoardO,
If you stop jumping rope you wouldn't spill so much!!! | | | |
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ChangeMe
Master of Wine
Posts:11169
| | 03/22/2003 12:46 PM |
| | Very funny. If wine splashed out on my wife in the car, it'd be the end of BYO for us. | | | |
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Pool Boy
Laurl, MD (DC suburb)
Master of Wine
Posts:13660
| | 03/22/2003 9:37 PM |
| | I do it topless, too. I rarely decant for very long. Much of the time, I decant into a simple pitcher instead of breaking out the good decanters. It's easier that way since most of the time it is just Mrs. TJ and I drinking... | |
www.roguefood.com -- www.cellartracker.com | |
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