BY Christian and David Asam

David: Have you ever asked yourself, why are they pouring that wine into a pitcher, or why is that arrogant snob swirling the wine in his glass so vigorously? Well, there actually is a good reason. They are aerating the wine. The obvious next question is, why would you want to do that?

Christian: Well, since you asked . . . . Let’s start with the fancy pitcher, or decanter. There are two major reasons for decanting. Younger wines are decanted in order to more rapidly release some of the aromas and flavors that will evolve after a bottle is opened for a period of time. Older wines may have natural sediment build up, so they are decanted to remove that unpleasant swallow of sediment that resembles chewing tobacco that could be in the last bottom of the bottle.

D: That is where the candle comes into play. You may see a sommelier decanting a bottle by slowly pouring it out into the decanter but holding it over a flame. The heat from the flame has absolutely nothing to do with this process. They are actually looking through the bottle in order to see when the sediment is coming, so they can stop pouring at the right time. That is also the reason a small portion of wine is left in the bottle and discarded. So, please don’t think you’re getting shorted when they don’t empty to bottle to the last drop.

C: So, what about the super swirly glass guy? Is there truly a purpose behind this? The answer is yes. By swirling the wine around in the glass you are essentially doing the same thing as decanting, yet in smaller quantities, and a faster pace. As air penetrates the wine, the taste molecules expand and separate, causing more aroma and flavor to be produced. But be careful. I remember watching David splash wine all over his shirt during a formal wine tasting.

D: Okay, you’ll never let me live that one down. I get it! Now we know why wines are decanted. But should all wines be put through this process? Definitely not. One type of  wine you should decant is the young, tight, full-bodied reds with heavy tannic structures that can benefit from a little time in the glass. These wines tend to be a little on the pricier side, which coincides with their huge structure and age ability.

C: The others are the older vintages, generically speaking, probably five years and older that will most likely have that sediment build up in the bottle. However, some of the older, lighter wines, like an older red burgundy Pinot Noir may be better off without this process—you don’t want to “fake age” them too quickly. To avoid the sediment without decanting, simply don’t pour the last few sips from that bottle. And remember that the same “fake-aging” process occurs in the glass with a little bit of swirling.

D: There are two test that you can do at home to test out these aeration theories. For test one, pour wine in to a glass, and let it sit for two minutes. Then, without swirling the wine around, try to smell the wine. The nose will most likely be slightly muted. Now try swirling the wine for about 20 seconds, then smell it again. The bouquet should now be much more pronounced.

C: Test two requires slightly deeper pockets and a bit more wine than test one. Grab two bottles of the same, fairly young Cabernet or Bordeaux-based wine. Open Bottle 1 about one hour before you plan to drink it, and pour it into a decanter. Open Bottle 2 of the same wine an hour later, at tasting time, and pour it straight into the glass. Bottle 1, with its extended aeration time, should be much more expressive and open for business than Bottle 2. Ahough they are the same wines, they will show differently.

D: Have fun with these tests, and remember that if decanting does nothing else, it’s a really cool looking ceremonial process. And it gives you a reason to use that glass decanter you got as a wedding gift years ago!