For The Love Of Port

I used to wash, rinse and dry my decanters diligently.

Recently I have been experimenting with a different approach that is proving very satisfactory:

Now when I come to the end of a decanter I put it under the tap and quarter fill it with tap water. I give it a quick shake and pour out the contents.

I then rinse the outside and the stopper before filling to the brim with more tap water, putting the stopper in and drying off the excess.

I then leave it (full of water) until I next need it.

When it comes to re-filling, I tip out the tap water and add a small slug of cheap ruby, shaking it to fully rinse the inside.

This I then tip down the sink, holding the decanter upside down for a few seconds to get rid of the last drips.

I then refill the decanter.

Just my way of doing things - quick and efficient.

I realise now that there is no advantage to be had from drying the inside.

What do others do?

I tend to be more relaxed than I used to be. Once a decanter is empty, I rinse it out with water and then stand it upside down on a decanter drainer that my wife bought me some years ago. The decanter drains out into the stand base and dries out over a few hours.

If the decanter is dry when I want to decant the next bottle, I just decant straight in.

If the decanter is still wet then I will rinse out with some cheap (eg. ruby) port that I have at hand.

On rare occasion, when my decanter gets badly stained, I will use a combination of Steradent tablets, hot water and a bottle brush followed by lots of rinsing in both hot and cold water.

Alex

Hey Tom,

I think your theory might be fine, but it depends on how long you keep the water in there.

I did exactly what you're talking about but by sheer accident. The decanter was 97% full of water, but in that little air pocket that was left a nice thick layer of mold grew.

I dunno how long it was left there for, but when I figured out it was full of water I turned it upside down. But nothing came out. The crust of mold had actually formed a pretty solid (and ergo pretty nasty) cork.

I no longer leave water in decanters....

--A

Alec - I've had no problems with mould - maybe you didn't rinse the decanter first?

Although the water looks perfectly clear in the decanter, the bouquet lingers and is pleasantly liberated when you empty the water out prior to refilling.

Tom

I have recently used 'decanter balls' which are available from, amoungst others, the Wine Society. A swirl round with a little water removes staining in awkward spots which a bottle brush might not reach. If used regularly, they seem to stop the build up of unsightly staining.

I am pretty casual too. I stick mine in the dishwasher most of the time. If I have a decanter that holds a tawny for a few days, then I sometimes put a couple of drops of vinegar or bleach into a large solution of water to remove staining. Then rinse thoroughly.

With nicer cut crystal (leaded) decanters, I do not dishwash them as the lead is then further exposed. Hand rinsing works best for these and I have not yet bought one of the decanter drying stands I have seen sold.