You already know we like Scott Harvey and his wines - so we wanted to share a post from one of his recent e-blasts.

Decanting wine can seem a little intimidating at first glance. I want to take this opportunity to make the mystery of decanting a little more clear for everyone. The first thing you need to know is what decanting actually is and that answer is easy. It is the introduction of oxygen into a bottle of wine  and the removal of any sediment that is created in the bottle through the aging process. But why in the world would we need to add oxygen to our wine?  Dr. Richard Peterson has a very simple and good explanation for this.

"Everything we eat or drink is bathed in air as it passes over our taste (& nose) receptors.  We are used to whatever the taste of air in food and drink is. We like it. But old wine is not like most foods that we eat or drink, at least not when the bottle is first opened. Old wine has been sealed up inside a bottle for many years and something changes during that time. The wine is no longer 'bathed in air' and it will taste funny at first, until we bathe it in air before drinking. We live in a world of chemistry and that is sometimes confusing. You see, old wine has been living in a 'reducing atmosphere' in the sealed bottle, which is the chemical opposite of aeration. When you aerate an old wine, you mix air into it and that makes it easy to drink and enjoy."

Now that does not mean that you just need to pop the cork an hour before you plan on drinking the wine. What the wine needs is a high ratio of air to wine to be decanted properly. If you just cork the bottle and let it sit you don't have a very good air to wine ratio. You need to pour the bottle into a decanter to really get a good mix.

As you can see decanting is not as scary as it may have first appeared and it will really help bring out the full potential of some of your favorite bottles of wine.

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Decanters make an awesome gift for Father's Day and we've got several different styles in our retail store. Add a bottle of wine and you're good to go! The decanters come in a wide price range, so stop by and check them out, or give us a call at 412 391 8502. We're here to help you deliver the unexpected.