Will decanting my red wine or opening it early improve the taste?

You will sometimes see a sommelier uncork a bottle of red wine at the start of the meal and leave it to “breathe” while you eat your starter. I do not believe that exposing a tiny surface area to air makes any difference. However, others do and often open a wine a few hours in advance. I have seen semi-scientific arguments for both sides.

It is not in dispute that decanting the wine can make a huge difference. Decanting sounds a little pretentious; it really just means pouring a wine into a carafe or other container. You can buy some very expensive decanters that look great, but they are not essential. I often use a jug at home. Alternatively, many second-hand shops are a great source of second-hand decanters.

Wine matures slowly in a bottle through contact with air trapped within. Once opened, it comes into contact with oxygen, speeding up the ageing process. This is why half-filled bottles don’t taste as good a few days later. If you have a vigorous young tannic red wine, decanting softens the tannins and allows the aromas and flavours to open out. Slosh the wine around to help the aeration process. You could double decant, which means pouring the wine back into the bottle. Some wines, such as young nebbiolo, vintage Port and young high-quality cabernet sauvignon, benefit from a few hours in a decanter.

Frail, old wines are best not decanted as the process might kill off any of the delicate fruits. If the wine has sediment, which can taste bitter and unpleasant, it is better to stand the bottle up for 24 hours and gently decant at the very last moment.

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Some wine drinkers argue that you can decant white wines, too. I have seen it work on some full-bodied wines, such as a young white Burgundy, but it means the wine warms up more quickly.

I like using decanters as they look great on a table, adding a sense of occasion, and may even make your wines seem better. Just don’t decant your budget red wine until the last minute. As for opening the bottle a while before drinking, feel free to do it if you think it makes a difference.