Decanting Wine 101 - A TOASST Primer

As we kick off the holiday season with festivities at home and out, we’re excited to share that we’ve worked with our partners for our November Toasst box to create wines with more substance and body to complement the richer, heartier fare that we’ll also be serving up in the cooler months. We’re also pleased that we were able to score an allocation to wines that have just been released in Hong Kong, which includes the Ornellaia Le Volte Toscana 2015, or Ornellaia “light” to insiders. Delightful to drink now or hold, it’s still a full-bodied Super Tuscan that is still tight when opened, which is why we recommend decanting first to get the most out of the wine. 

Why do we decant wines? 

We decant all wines (yes - that means red, white and sparkling and ports) for 2 reasons but mainly to open up old and young wines. For old wines, it’s to remove sediment that’s accumulated during the ageing process of red wines or loosen up (technical term is “aerate”) a young wine that can benefit from exposure to oxygen. We recommend decanting in a proper decanter (preferably one with a long neck) and not in the bottle as too little of the wine will come into contact with the air to have any effect on the wine. 

What kind of a decanter should I use? 

Decanters come in all shapes and sizes and all sorts of budgets. Find one that fits your style and is easy to clean. We like Jancis Robinson’s decanters for simplicity, beauty and ease of use (they’re beautiful to use, even for water) but you can always take it up a notch with a Riedel Ultra Decanter for young wines or Zalto Mystique for older wines and magnum bottles to maximize surface to air ratio.

Bottomline, you can’t go wrong with any decanter but choose one that you enjoy pouring wine out of for yourself or for guests. For more ideas on what types of wine to practice with your newfound decanter skills, check out the Toasst Shop for our latest offers and promotions.

 #livebetter #winebetter #toasstwines #toasstbetter