A decanter is a vessel that is used to hold the decantation of a liquid (such as wine) which may contain sediment. Decanters, which have a varied shape and design, have been traditionally made from glass or crystal. Their volume is usually equivalent to one standard bottle of wine (0.75 litre). A carafe, which is also traditionally used for serving alcoholic beverages, is similar in design to a decanter but is not supplied with a stopper.

History

Throughout the history of wine, decanters have played a significant role in the serving of wine. The vessels would be filled with wine from

amphora An amphora (; grc, ἀμφορεύς, ''amphoreús''; English plural: amphorae or amphoras) is a type of container with a pointed bottom and characteristic shape and size which fit tightly (and therefore safely) against each other in storag ...

s and brought to the table where they could be more easily handled by a single servant. The Ancient Romans pioneered the use of glass as a material. After the fall of the Western Roman Empire, glass production became scarce causing the majority of decanters to be made of

bronze Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (including aluminium, manganese, nickel, or zinc) and sometimes non-metals, such as phosphorus, or metalloids such ...

, silver, gold, or

earthenware Earthenware is glazed or unglazed nonvitreous pottery that has normally been fired below . Basic earthenware, often called terracotta, absorbs liquids such as water. However, earthenware can be made impervious to liquids by coating it with a ce ...

. The Venetians reintroduced glass decanters during the Renaissance period and pioneered the style of a long slender neck that opens to a wide body, increasing the exposed surface area of the wine, allowing it to react with air. In the 1730s, British glass makers introduced the

stopper Stopper may refer to: * Bung, a plug used to stop the opening of a container ** Laboratory rubber stopper, a specific type of bung * Plug (sanitation), used to stop a drainage outlet * Defender (association football), in soccer (association footba ...

to limit exposure to air. Since then, there has been little change to the basic design of the decanter. Although conceived for wine, other alcoholic beverages, such as cognac or

single malt Scotch Single malt Scotch refers to single malt whisky made in Scotland. To qualify for this category, a whisky must have been distilled at a single distillery using a pot still distillation process and made from a mash of malted barley. Therefore, ...

whisky, are often stored and served in stoppered decanters. Certain cognacs and malt whiskies are sold in decanters such as the 50-year-old single malt Dalmore or the

Bowmore Distillery Bowmore ( ) is a distillery that produces Scotch whisky on the Isle of Islay, an island of the Inner Hebrides. The distillery, which lies on the South Eastern shore of Loch Indaal, is one of the oldest in Scotland. It is said to have been esta ...

22 Year Old.

Decanting process

Liquid from another vessel is poured into the decanter in order to separate a small volume of liquid, containing the sediment, from a larger volume of "clear" liquid, which is free of such. In the process, the sediment is left in the original vessel, and the clear liquid is transferred to the decanter. This is analogous to

racking Racking, often referred to as Soutirage or Soutirage traditionnel (meaning racking in French), also filtering or fining, is the process of moving wine or beer from one container to another using gravity rather than a pump, which can be disruptiv ...

, but performed just before serving. Decanters have been used for serving wines that are laden with sediments in the original bottle. These sediments could be the result of a very old wine or one that was not filtered or clarified during the winemaking process. In most modern winemaking, the need to decant for this purpose has been significantly reduced, because many wines no longer produce a significant amount of sediment as they age.

Decanting cradles

Baskets called decanting cradles, usually made of wicker or metal, are used to decant bottles that have been stored on their side without needing to turn them upright, thereby avoiding stirring up sediment. These are particularly useful in restaurants, for service of a wine ordered during a meal, but less important at home, where a bottle can be stood upright the day before. More complicated s also exist to facilitate smoothly pouring, without disturbing sediment.

Aeration

Another reason for decanting wine is to aerate it, or allow it to "breathe". The decanter is meant to mimic the effects of swirling the wine glass to stimulate the oxidation processes which triggers the release of more aromatic compounds. In addition it is thought to benefit the wine by smoothing some of the harsher aspects of the wine (like tannins or potential wine faults like

mercaptans In organic chemistry, a thiol (; ), or thiol derivative, is any organosulfur compound of the form , where R represents an alkyl or other organic substituent. The functional group itself is referred to as either a thiol group or a sulfhydryl gro ...

). Many wine writers, such as author

Karen MacNeil Karen MacNeil (born 1954) is an American author, journalist, wine educator and consultant. Career MacNeil's first article, on the subject of the best butter on offer in New York delis, was published in ''The Village Voice.'' She transitioned to wi ...

in the book ''The Wine Bible'', advocate decanting for the purposes of aeration, especially with very tannic wines like Barolo, Bordeaux,

Cabernet Sauvignon Cabernet Sauvignon () is one of the world's most widely recognized red wine grape varieties. It is grown in nearly every major wine producing country among a diverse spectrum of climates from Australia and British Columbia, Canada to Lebanon' ...

, Port, and Rhône wines while noting that decanting could be harmful for more delicate wines like Chianti and

Pinot noir Pinot Noir () is a red-wine grape variety of the species ''Vitis vinifera''. The name may also refer to wines created predominantly from pinot noir grapes. The name is derived from the French language, French words for ''pine'' and ''black.' ...

. However, the effectiveness of decanting is a topic of debate, with some wine experts such as

oenologist Oenology (also enology; ) is the science and study of wine and winemaking. Oenology is distinct from viticulture, which is the science of the growing, cultivation, and harvesting of grapes. The English word oenology derives from the Greek word ' ...

Émile Peynaud Émile Peynaud (June 29, 1912 – July 18, 2004) was a French oenologist and researcher who has been credited with revolutionizing winemaking in the latter half of the 20th century, and has been called "the forefather of modern oenology". Biogr ...

claiming that the prolonged exposure to oxygen actually diffuses and dissipates more aroma compounds than it stimulates, in contrast to the effects of the smaller scale exposure and immediate release that swirling the wine in a drinker's glass has. In addition it has been reported that the process of decanting over a period of a few hours does not have the effect of softening tannins. The softening of tannins occurs during the winemaking and

oak aging Oak is used in winemaking to vary the color, flavor, tannin profile and texture of wine. It can be introduced in the form of a barrel during the fermentation or aging periods, or as free-floating chips or staves added to wine fermented in a vess ...

when tannins go through a process of polymerization that can last days or weeks; decanting merely alters the perception of

sulfites Sulfites or sulphites are compounds that contain the sulfite ion (or the sulfate(IV) ion, from its correct systematic name), . The sulfite ion is the conjugate base of bisulfite. Although its acid (sulfurous acid) is elusive, its salts are widel ...

and other chemical compounds in the wine through oxidation, which can give some drinkers the sense of softer tannins in the wine. In line with the view that decanting can dissipate aromas, wine expert Kerin O'Keefe prefers to let the wine evolve slowly and naturally in the bottle, by uncorking it a few hours ahead, a practice suggested by wine producers such as Bartolo Mascarello and

Franco Biondi Santi Franco Biondi Santi (January 11, 1922 – April 8, 2013) was an Italian winemaker, most known for producing Brunello di Montalcino, a red wine produced only in Montalcino, Tuscany. Biography Franco Biondi Santi was born in Montalcino in 1922, an ...

. Other wine experts, such as writer

Jancis Robinson Jancis Mary Robinson OBE, ComMA, MW (born 22 April 1950) is a British wine critic, journalist and wine writer. She currently writes a weekly column for the ''Financial Times'', and writes for her website JancisRobinson.com, updated daily. She ...

, tout the

aesthetic Aesthetics, or esthetics, is a branch of philosophy that deals with the nature of beauty and taste, as well as the philosophy of art (its own area of philosophy that comes out of aesthetics). It examines aesthetic values, often expressed th ...

value of using a decanter, especially one with an elegant design and made with clear glass, and believe that for all but the most fragile of wines that there is not much significant damage to the wine by decanting it.

References

External links