Have you ever got to the bottom of the glass and found that the wine left was the best bit, that last couple of sips? You probably thought to yourself, "Gee, I wish I had opened it a bit earlier" or "I should have left it in the glass a tad longer." Decanting could be the answer.

Following on from our story in MAGNUM No. 16 on cellaring wine and suggestions from some of our customers, we thought it might be a good idea to explore decanting and its role with wine.

Decanting in its most simplest and practical form is designed to remove sediment from wine, a by-product of the winemaking process. These days, winemakers use refining and filtering techniques to clear wine of the unnecessary build up of acid, tannin and pigment. Wine undergoing these fining techniques naturally still retains these elements which, when cellared for a period of time, can be seen on the side of the bottle.

Although sediment is less prominent in the consumption of new age wine today, the decanting process has allowed other important components of wine to become apparent such as the visual aspects and the important step of allowing the wine to 'breathe'. As wine has a small amount of air below the seal, the wine begins to develop naturally from day one. By decanting we increase the rate of aeration allowing all the flavours and aromas to 'open up'.

Steven Spurrier from Decanter Magazine suggests, "If the aim is to maximise the visual and sensorial pleasure of wine, it is safe to say that those who always decant, whatever the wine, are never wrong, while those who never decant very often are."

The thought is that by using all our senses we get a true indication of the wine, the colour, flavours and aromas plus get the added benefit of allowing the wine to breathe. This allows the wine to go from a static lay-down state to an everchanging sensory temptation with flavours and smells that develop in the glass and work their magic.

Generally, decanting is for red wine only, however for some white wines it can prove very rewarding. Full-bodied oaked Chardonnays would be the obvious choice as they contain the most amount of complexity from oak maturation. By decanting we can extract the flavours and subtle nuances of the wine.

In young wines, decanting provides these 'tight' wines with the ability to develop characteristics normally unseen from bottle to glass. Flavours and aromas that would otherwise take years to develop in the cellar shine through with aeration and time. Decanting provides the optimum environment for the wine to open to a point whereby the wine can reach its peak, which may not have been the case without it.

The older the wine the less time required for decanting, which in the past may have been viewed in the opposite way. Decanting for too long leads to oxidization and turns wine into vinegar especially with older wines which have been cellared for decades. Allowing wines to awaken from their slumber in the decanter is ideal, but be aware that too much time can leave beautiful aged Cabernet Sauvignon or Shiraz out of date.

In general, most wines are generally drunk within 24 hours of purchase, which is often too early. To better tackle the fruit power, tannin structure, and the intense concentration of fruit, decanting of a young wine can prove to be very rewarding. Decanters come in many different shapes and sizes but all in all they accomplish the same purpose - visual appeal and aeration which opens flavours and aromas that enhance the enjoyment of the wine experience.

In the main, Voyager Estate’s red wines and Chardonnay are made to last. For those wanting to drink these wines sooner rather later, decanting can enhance their appeal at an earlier age.