Any red wine that has reached the age of nine or ten years, meaning it has spent seven or eight years in bottle, will normally start throwing a deposit.  This is caused by extremely complex chemical and physical changes that take place over time and which are not fully understood, even by the most erudite chemists in the field.  However, the basic changes that occur in bottle are caused by slow and gradual oxidation, which causes a metamorphosis of the acids, sugars, tannins and a host of other matters from the fermented grape, in combination with the alcohols, esters and other volatile elements.

When a wine is bottled, it is crystal clear and all these elements are "in solution" in the wine.   As time goes by, some of them change their chemical structure and go out of solution into suspension and, because they are slightly heavier than the wine in which they are suspended, tend to fall to the bottom of the bottle.

Certain ten year old red wines may not yet have begun to throw more than the very fine beginnings of a light sediment. On the other hand some may already have started to throw more of a solid deposit.  Which means that you should be thinking about decanting (or at least serving from a basket) any red wines from the vintages of the 1980s.

The amount of deposit that is likely to occur depends on a number of factors, starting with the structure of the wine, whose nature is dictated by the region, the vintage and the method of vinification.  In very hot years, the tannins tend to be more concentrated, and wines from these vintages will throw a more heavy deposit than those from lighter years.  Also the amount and type of "racking" and "fining" undertaken in the cellars, during the aging period in wood, will have some effect.

The nature of the deposit in wines from different regions and from specific grapes may vary.  For example, Red Burgundy (100% Pinot Noir) tends to throw relatively little deposit, particularly in lighter years.  However Burgundy from light vintages is better drunk when less than ten years old, so the matter should seldom arise.  But Burgundies from the heavier and more solid vintages can throw quite a deposit.  The problem with the deposit in Burgundy is that it tends to be very fine, like dust.  This can make decanting quite difficult and great care must be taken.

The deposit in old Bordeaux (Cabernet Sauvignon blended with Merlot) tends to be much more solid and "bitty", as it is with other Cabernet Sauvignons from California or Australia, for example.  It is much easier to do a good decanting job with Cabernet.

Although decanting may be regarded by many as a mystery, ridiculously pedantic, a waste of time or all three of the above, it is far from any of these.  Indeed it is absolutely essential if you are to derive the huge pleasure that a great bottle of old red Bordeaux, Burgundy or California can give. 

So here I should like to try and "de-mystify" the gentle art of decanting.  And it is gentle.  And it is an art.   But having mastered this craft, you will find it is extremely simple and you will wonder why you haven't been doing it all these years.           

First, you will need the tools of the trade. 

• A wine basket.  The parameters are that the bottle should lie in the basket at about 25º to the
horizontal.

• A foil-cutter.  Not essential, but it makes a much cleaner job of cutting and removing the capsule than a kitchen knife, or ripping with your fingers, and is less hazardous to your health.

• A good corkscrew.  Any of the range of Screwpulls is fine, provided the Teflon has not worn off the  screw. A short corkscrew is useless and can get you into terrible trouble.

• A nice looking glass decanter, which can be of plain glass or cut glass.

• A candle or strong concentrated light-source such as an electric flashlight.

We shall explain how important this is to successful decanting.

At least a couple of days (for Burgundy or Pinot Noir) or one day (for Bordeaux or California Cabernet) before you plan to drink an old bottle, take it from your cellar or wine rack and place it in the basket, label uppermost.

If it is a last-moment affair, then extreme care when transferring from cellar to basket should be exercised and the bottle should be kept horizontal.

Remove the foil and clean the area under the capsule with a damp cloth the day before decanting, since it still doesn't matter if you shake the bottle at this point.  You may find traces of dirt or mold on top of the cork after the capsule has been removed.   This is normal and is nothing to worry about.  But do clean this area well.


When should I decant?

Unfortunately there is no fast rule.   The older the wine the closer to drinking time it should be decanted. But the exceptions to this rule are numerous and can only be factored in after decades of personal experiment.

In general Burgundy, of a similar age to Bordeaux, should be decanted later since it will have less tannin and will not hold up so long after decanting.  But the characteristics not only of each vintage, but also of each wine in each vintage, will differ.

As a guide Burgundy, from a decent vintage and between ten and fifteen years old, may safely be decanted about half an hour to an hour before you sit down to dinner, to be at its best with the main course.   It is better for a wine to "grow" in the decanter, and then grow further in the glass, than to start going down hill at the beginning of the meal.

Bordeaux of this age can usually be decanted earlier, perhaps two hours before dinner, without fear of it peaking too early.  But again, this depends on the style of the wine and the vintage.  The great and solid vintages of the 1980s in Bordeaux were 1982, 1986, 1988 and 1989.   Of these, 1986 remains the firmest and most tannic and will benefit from not being drunk before the turn of the millennium.  If you are drinking the 1986s this century, you can feel comfortable decanting three or four hours in advance, without concern.   1983 and 1985 were also beautiful vintages but they have developed faster in bottle and are already drinking nicely.  They can be decanted a couple of hours in advance.  The bigger styles of Bordeaux, such as Chateau Latour and Chateau Mouton Rothschild, both from the commune of Pauillac, can be massive when less than a dozen years old and you won't go far wrong if you decant them at "tea-time”, or even earlier.

If you don't have a lot of personal experience, your wine merchant will give you sound advice.  Or please feel free to telephone this writer for guidance on decanting a particular wine.

How to decant.

Choose a large well-lit flat surface area, unencumbered with clutter.

Select the decanter you like the look of most and give it a good wash.  Decanters can get a bit dank if they are used seldom. Place it on the table.

Put the candle, if you are right-handed, a few inches to the right of the decanter.  Or, if you favour more modern techniques, place a powerful flashlight in the same spot, so the beam shines upward to an imaginary point about six inches to the right of the decanter's neck.

 Locate your trusty corkscrew and twist it firmly but gently into the cork of the bottle, which is still laying in the basket.  Hold the bottle down firmly with the other hand so there is absolutely no movement.

Once your cork is pulled (it should have come out with a whisper and not a pop), take a paper towel and gently wipe clean the inside of the neck and around the top of the bottle.

Now for the real moment of truth, as the adrenaline flows.  You mustn't make a mistake.  This is a $500 bottle of Chateau Margaux, after all.  But at the same time you shouldn't panic.  Keep cool, calm and collected at all costs and invite, if this is your first time, any audience to make themselves scarce and get back to the Champagne on the terrace.  You don't want any distractions.  And make certain the Doberman is locked away in the West Wing, out of harm's way and out of earshot.

Either light your candle (no draughts please; we don't want any flickering which may lead to a feeble excuse for botching the job) or switch on the flashlight.

Grasp the bottle in your hand, at a point above the label, and gently lift it out of its cradled position in the basket, making sure it remains at the prescribed 25º tilt.

Slowly move the neck of the bottle over the decanter and start pouring slowly but steadily.  In the case of Bordeaux, whose bottle-shape has defined shoulders, you will witness and hear a slight glug-glug.  Said glug-glugging will only occur for the first sixth or so of the bottle, until the air is allowed to enter freely.  You must at all costs keep your nerve during this period, in the knowledge that a little bit of gurgling isn't going to cause the sediment to shift from its appointed place, and continue to pour steadily.  Very soon the glugging will stop and you will experience a hushed free-flow. When decanting Burgundy, there should be virtually no glugging because of the shoulder-less structure of the traditional Burgundy bottle.

Everything is going so well now, you are entering the dangerous quietly confident stage.  Just keep pouring steadily at the same rate.  But whatever happens, don't stop and start, or pour faster then slower.  If you do, this will create a motion within the bottle referred to by the French as "va et vient" or, being translated, "go and come".  Just when things are going so nicely, you mustn't allow the wine to get into a situation whereby it is all sloshing back and forth.    And this is what will happen if you don't pour at the same rate throughout the operation. Indeed it will play havoc with the sediment, which will start mingling with the wine  - just what you don't want to occur.

About halfway through the exercise, if the wine is any good, you will experience an exquisite aroma as the wine's complex esters are released by exposure to the oxygen.

When you see the decanter about three-quarters full, this is the moment at which you should start peeking through the bottle at the light from the candle or torch below.  By this time, the wine will no longer appear opaque, and glints of garnet will shimmer from within the bottle as the rays of the candle penetrate the wine remaining.   The wine should still be crystal clear.  Keep pouring and keep watching carefully.    Eventually the first traces of sediment will start moving from the region below the punt up towards the middle of the bottle and then towards the shoulder.  Keep pouring   -  same speed.  As the sediment approaches the neck, stop immediately, not allowing even a fraction of the deposit to pass into the decanter.

Hold the decanted wine up to the candle and admire your work and the beautiful colour. It will be star brilliant.  Remarkable.   You may have lost an inch of wine, if the deposit was heavy, or considerably less, if light.  But remember, never spoil the ship for a ha'p'th of tar.   So don't try and squeeze an extra half-ounce.  You'll ruin the whole thing.

Put the stopper into the decanter and place it on the dining table.   Piece of cake.  You have now graduated and can admire your handiwork.  Since wine-lovers like to know what they are drinking   - particularly if the wine is interesting and old - it is a nice touch to hang the cork around the neck of the decanter. Or you may care also to put the original bottle on the table so your guests can see the label.  But, when all the wine has been drunk from the decanter, you may have to restrain the thirstier among them from grabbing the bottle and pouring out the dregs.

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