Do you decant Colheita's or not

[Alan Gardner]

At room temperature oxygen is fairly stable (otherwise we'd be experiencing all sorts of interesting phenomena on a frequent basis!).
To perhaps simplify this, I suggest that the 'main' effect is the release (from the wine) of ALCOHOL (which is somewhat volatile at room temperature) - and it is the alcohol (which is a pretty good solvent) that carries the aromatic compounds to the nose and palate (this via evapouration from heat in the mouth) and that is the main agent for these perceived effects.
Accordingly, decanting (or other agitation) in any relatively inert gas would have the same overall effect.
Of course, I still dispute that decanting benefits the wine (other than by agitation)!

[Luc Gauthier]

To Decant is to Believe !!

[Andy Velebil]

I can't give you a scientific answer, but I can speak from experience that decanting almost always helps with a VP. Maybe not so much as a youngster, but when they get older, decanting is a must. That time will of course vary greatly depending on many factors, which include the age of the wine, the producer, prior experience with it, how the bottle was stored, etc.

As to Eric's question about decanting in a pure, non-oxygen environment, I have no idea. But I would probably guess that there would not be as profound of a change. It would be a fun experiement to test this question....

Open several bottles in different states (pure Nirtogen, Pure Oxygen, Pure Argon, and a control open to the regular air) decant them and see how they behave over time. I wish I had the resources to do this, as it would be really fun. Maybe some of our members do and can try this.

[Alan Gardner]

I guess I should emphasize that I always decant wine which contains sediment, not for the aeration but because the whole experience is better for me without sediment in my glass, which affects the whole mouth feel experience. Hence this discussion on the Colheita thread. No argument on decanting vintage port.

[Ole Udsen]

Dear all,

This is a subject that has not been researched well at all, and I would be extremely hesitant to make any pronouncements on the beneficial or deleterious effects of decanting, whether this is to oxygenate or get rid of bottle stink. As the above thread amply show, we have all had good AND bad experiences with decanting.

Having said that, it is a well-known phenomenon that some very old bottles develop significant bottle stink. This is most likely due to the wine having consumed all available oxygen in the bottle and having started an anaerobic (or reductive) development. The volatile compunds that result are in the sulphorous spectrum, i.e. from burnt rubber towards ancient sewers and skunks. In order to enjoy such a wine the bottle stink needs to dissipate (the compunds are highly volatile) and there are probably few - if any - methods that do that better than decanting. You could just pour the wine and let it stand in the glass, but for many this is probably psychologically less acceptable (=you want to drink the wine once poured).

I would think that bottle stink is much less common in wines that have been deliberately oxidized over a long period of time, such as Colheitas. Changes due to decanting would therefore a priori be less dramatic than getting rid of bottle stink. However, I have a theory that wines that have been deliberately oxidized actually withstand later oxidization better. If true (and this is based on very unscientific sampling), then at least it won't hurt much to decant Colheitas.

Another issue, which also needs to be properly investigated scientifically, is whether different ways of making wine can have different effects on the resultant wine's ability to withstand - or even prosper from - decanting. I have a suspicion that if the wine is made very traditionally, with fermentation and long maceration on the skins and stalks, then the wine will have a higher content of anti-oxidative (or even reductive) compounds, and this would then consequently mean that the wine may in fact benefit from decanting. Sulphur is another factor, and in my experience a wine with little or no sulphur will be much more immediate and expressive straight from the bottle, and would also be more prone to oxidation, hence not in need of decanting.

As I started by saying, this subject is not well-researched at all, and I think that there are so many factors that can influence on it that a clear-cut answer that is not solely anecdotal cannot be given at this point.

Best regards
Ole

[Roy Hersh]

Good to see you back here again Ole. :hello:

My friend from Kazakhstan makes some very poignant points!