Decanting Question

[Peter L.]

I have read Roy's article "Decanting Vintage Port: The "Hersh Method", but have a couple questions for people on this forum, as I am new to this. Today I opened a bottle of Warre's 2001 LBV. Had a little trouble with the cork, which leads me to the first question: How man people here use the method Roy mentions using heated Port tongs and "cracking" the bottle? Sounds fun, and something I'm going to try on my next bottle.

Secondly, I didn't have (or couldn't seem to find) any cheesecloth in my kitchen so I just used a funnel and a fine, though apparently not fine enough, metal/mesh screen. Is it common practice to decant twice? Perhaps I need a better filter, but what I did this afternoon was: First I decanted through a funnel and mesh filter into a large glass measuring cup. I captured quite a bit of sediment. Then, I poured the Port from the measuring cup again, through the filter (again) into my actual decanter, as there was still a fair amount of sediment left. Do you ever get that problem? Maybe this could be solved easily with a cheesecloth or some finer filtering mechanism, but it seemed correct to filter again after what was left behind from the first "decant".

[Derek T.]

Peter,

Port tongs are not necessary for wines of the age you are discussing here. The cork in the 2001 LBV you opened has been in the neck for about six years, which is as good as being new.

If you are opening wines of this age, and even Vintage Ports of a couple of decades older, I would recommend standing the bottle up for an hour and then decanting through one of these, or similar.

Cheesecloth or muslin is useful if you don't have time to stand the bottle up, but if you do a mesh filter should do the job.

Derek

[Jim R.]

I always stand the older wines up for a couple of days. Provided the wine has been stored on its side the cork will not dry out in this short time. I use a strong light source below the bottle when decanting and stop when the first hint of sediment shows in the neck. This will leave between one and three ounces of sludge in the bottom of the bottle. I pour this into a separate glass and use it to explain sediment and why it is useful to decant older wines. Leave the glass undisturbed overnight and you can siphon off more of the drinkable wine. Since my family and friends are not that into ports I always have wine left for the next day. I use no cloths or filters when decanting. All you need is a steady hand. Roy's suggestions of how many hours of air time after decanting have been very useful in avoiding an unbalanced showing of my older vintage ports. Have fun!

[Moses Botbol]

Port tongs are for show and for validating old corks; it’s fun and festive, but not necessary decanting. I too often double decant wine.

Decanting comes down to how much time you have and what tools you have available. Often, my bottles are on their side right up to decanting, so I do not use a funnel; just lay the cheesecloth into the decanter and pour away. If the cork breaks, just push it in the bottle and pour the port.

If you can bend metal, you can fashion port tongs and give it a go. Port bottles have larger circumference than wine bottles, so they are particular just to port.

[Roy Hersh]

I have used several types of metal wine funnel/filters and never found them adequate to screen out most fine sediment. Cheesecloth is easy to find in any cooking store and around here, even in supermarkets. It is inexpensive, plentiful, goes a long way and is very sanitary.

[Russ K]

I have used several types of metal wine funnel/filters and never found them adequate to screen out most fine sediment. Cheesecloth is easy to find in any cooking store and around here, even in supermarkets. It is inexpensive, plentiful, goes a long way and is very sanitary.

The only one I have found that worked to where no cheesecloth is needed was the rabbit brand shower funnel with stainer. Its so good if you mess up and get too much in there, it actually plugs right off (not even liquid gets through). I have tried about 5 different ones and none were even close to this, I use it all the time on all sediment throwing wines. No fines get through at all, very very fine mesh. I think you can get a Sur la table stores, I have not seen it anywhere else.

[Glenn E.]

I have used several types of metal wine funnel/filters and never found them adequate to screen out most fine sediment. Cheesecloth is easy to find in any cooking store and around here, even in supermarkets. It is inexpensive, plentiful, goes a long way and is very sanitary.

I use a fine mesh funnel/strainer that I got with a decanter from the Wine Enthusiast. It's a very fine mesh, but as you say it still doesn't stop that really gritty, very fine sediment. It will catch any sort of chunk, though, even the smallest pieces. So I just decant slowly and carefully and watch for the very fine stuff to start through the neck of the bottle, at which point I stop and pour the rest into a lowball. That's usually no more than an ounce or two, so it works pretty well.

[Eric Menchen]

$1.99 for two square yards of cheesecloth at my local grocery store. That will filter a lot of bottles. Sometimes I use cheesecloth, sometimes I use a wine funnel with stainless steel screen. Yes, the stainless screen doesn't get the most fine sediment, but if the bottle has been handled gently, that isn't too much of an issue to me.

[Eric Ifune]

I use surgical sponges, unused of course! Guarenteed to be inert and nonallergenic.

[Andy Velebil]

I use surgical sponges, unused of course! Guarenteed to be inert and nonallergenic.

I would hope they are unused

[Tom Archer]

I use surgical sponges, unused of course!

I spotted these being used in the Graham's lodge last year and gave it a try - very effective.

The one's in the lodge were in individual sealed sterile pouches, but I'm not sure where you can buy them like that. I got some in a bulk pack of 50 - they're very cheap.

- Make sure they're not medicated though...!

[Phil W]

The one's in the lodge were in individual sealed sterile pouches, but I'm not sure where you can buy them like that. I got some in a bulk pack of 50 - they're very cheap.

In the UK you can buy them as sterile gauze in boots for a pack of 5 (which I use all 5 as a single 'sponge' spread out slightly to cover the funnel base effectively) but at about £1.80 per pack; I bought a pack of 30 x 5pack sterile gauze for about £12 earlier this week online from an amazon reseller which should be the same and much more cost effective, though I can't confirm quality yet as haven't recieved them yet.

[Tom Archer]

In the UK you can buy them as sterile gauze in boots for a pack of 5

As many of the readership here are not from the UK, I will explain that Boots is the name of a well known pharmacy chain..

[Phil W]

In the UK you can buy them as sterile gauze in boots for a pack of 5

As many of the readership here are not from the UK, I will explain that Boots is the name of a well known pharmacy chain..

Thanks - it would have helped if I had at least capitalised Boots so it was clear it was a brand name/retailer; Decanting through sterile gauze 'in boots' would be rather counter-productive!

[Roy Hersh]

And here we thought you were decanting in the trunk of your car.

For the cost of the medical guaze strips, can't you find cheesecloth more easily and cheaper too?

[Tom Archer]

For the cost of the medical guaze strips, can't you find cheesecloth more easily and cheaper too?

Both can be bought on eBay, and the cost isn't really an issue. The gauzes win over the cheesecloth because they are sold in the right size for the job - there's no messing around with scissors needed..

[Roy Hersh]

Understandable, I just thought it might be easier to be able to walk into your local grocery store and grab a package of cheesecloth than go onto Ebay to buy the gauze. But to each their own.

[Al B.]

These days I tend to use unbleached coffee filter papers in a collapsable silicone funnel. I used to be an ardent advocate of free-hand decanting using a bright light and steady hand until I took part in a tasting which compared several different methods of decanting the same magnum - free hand, clean but unwashed cheesecloth, washed cheesecloth, coffee filter. No-one could distinguish between the different glasses.

Since then I have always loved the convenience of the coffee filter paper, especially if hand carrying an undecanted bottle to an offline.

[Brian C.]

I used to use unbleached coffee filters, but I am concerned that some of the properties of the coffee filter might make it into the final decanted product. Nowadays I use unbleached cheesecloth (certainly not bleached, because I don't want to know what those chemical reactions would be like). If I think the sediment is going to be finer, I will fold the cheesecloth over one extra time. I used to have a little glass funnel until I broke it. Nowadays I have a silicone funnel.