2 Sep 2007, ST
By Jeremy Oliver
IN THIS fortnightly column, wine commentator Jeremy Oliver sheds light on the wide world of wine. He is the author of the best-selling Australian Wine Annual, and runs his website www.onwine.com.au
What should I look out for when choosing a decanter?
There are two criteria. The first relates to its design, while the second relates to the sort of wine you want to use it for.
To begin with, here are some general tips. Regardless of how expensive or stylish the glass or crystal might be, get a decanter that is easy to clean.
The shape of some decanters makes them virtually impossible to clean. And with wine, cleanliness is not so much a virtue as a prerequisite. You can tell a decanter is clean by the way it smells of absolutely nothing.
As with stemware, decanters should also be made of clear glass or crystal so you can easily see through the wine to check its condition.
Some decanters have rounded lips to pour over and they usually drip. I can't think of many things that are worse than a decanter that drips. So check to see that it has a cut lip that will prevent drips.
As you pour, a well-designed decanter will encourage the wine around its lip to spread out inside like a film. This film of wine should extend all the way inside the decanter, enabling the wine to be powerfully aerated in a very thin layer before it arrives at the bottom of the vessel.
Now, on matching decanters to wine. There are only two kinds of decanters from this perspective: those that provide a large internal surface area, and those taller kinds - similar to wine bottles - that offer a smaller area.
If you're decanting with the specific intent of aerating wine - especially reds that are young - you would need a decanter that provides a large internal surface area. This will enable the wine to continue its process of aeration and gas exchange after the decanting has finished.
But if you have an old and relatively delicate red and your main purpose for decanting is to remove it from its sediment, then a taller, narrower decanter with a small internal surface area would be better since it would help retard any excessive aeration once it is opened.
Most of the time, we decant relatively young reds that need aeration.
One of my favourite decanters for this is Zerruti's very elegant Turn Decanter.
Its ingenious design behaves like a normal ship's decanter when left upright in its stand, but whirls its way around in circles, aerating the wine if put directly on the table.
It's always fun to look at the widening eyes of those who have never seen it before, since they're almost convinced it will wander straight off the table.
By Jeremy Oliver
IN THIS fortnightly column, wine commentator Jeremy Oliver sheds light on the wide world of wine. He is the author of the best-selling Australian Wine Annual, and runs his website www.onwine.com.au
What should I look out for when choosing a decanter?
There are two criteria. The first relates to its design, while the second relates to the sort of wine you want to use it for.
To begin with, here are some general tips. Regardless of how expensive or stylish the glass or crystal might be, get a decanter that is easy to clean.
The shape of some decanters makes them virtually impossible to clean. And with wine, cleanliness is not so much a virtue as a prerequisite. You can tell a decanter is clean by the way it smells of absolutely nothing.
As with stemware, decanters should also be made of clear glass or crystal so you can easily see through the wine to check its condition.
Some decanters have rounded lips to pour over and they usually drip. I can't think of many things that are worse than a decanter that drips. So check to see that it has a cut lip that will prevent drips.
As you pour, a well-designed decanter will encourage the wine around its lip to spread out inside like a film. This film of wine should extend all the way inside the decanter, enabling the wine to be powerfully aerated in a very thin layer before it arrives at the bottom of the vessel.
Now, on matching decanters to wine. There are only two kinds of decanters from this perspective: those that provide a large internal surface area, and those taller kinds - similar to wine bottles - that offer a smaller area.
If you're decanting with the specific intent of aerating wine - especially reds that are young - you would need a decanter that provides a large internal surface area. This will enable the wine to continue its process of aeration and gas exchange after the decanting has finished.
But if you have an old and relatively delicate red and your main purpose for decanting is to remove it from its sediment, then a taller, narrower decanter with a small internal surface area would be better since it would help retard any excessive aeration once it is opened.
Most of the time, we decant relatively young reds that need aeration.
One of my favourite decanters for this is Zerruti's very elegant Turn Decanter.
Its ingenious design behaves like a normal ship's decanter when left upright in its stand, but whirls its way around in circles, aerating the wine if put directly on the table.
It's always fun to look at the widening eyes of those who have never seen it before, since they're almost convinced it will wander straight off the table.
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