Glossary

A glass or crystal vessel that wine is poured into for optimal aeration and sediment separation before consuming. Many believe decanting will generally allow a wine to breath, which is supposed to soften younger wines such as reds with high levels of tannins, allowing the wine to become more supple and pleasing to the taste by removing some of the hardness of the wine. Both red or white wines may have a flavor that is tannic (dry and bitter tasting) or acidic (tart and harsh tasting) that may need to be softened, which many feel can be accomplished by decanting. Similarly, decanting is believed to allow the bouquet of the wine to improve and become more complex as the aroma of the fruit is emitted and sensed by the person drinking the wine. Those who are opposed to decanting for flavor purposes feel that wine becomes flat tasting as it is decanted and the process reduces the quality of the fresh fruity flavors so often sought in a good wine. And most feel that there is no value to decanting lower quality wines, younger white wines, rosé wines, or blush wines.