How to Decant Wine, Step by Step

Before you start

• A clean, dry decanter that holds a full bottle with room to spare.
• A light: a candle, a small torch or your phone’s light.
• A corkscrew, a cloth to wipe the neck, and a little time.

How to decant an old wine, in four steps

1. 01

   Stand the bottle upright

   A day before, stand the bottle up so the sediment slides down to the bottom. For a very old bottle, two or three days is better. If it comes straight from the rack, carry it gently on its side and keep it that way.
2. 02

   Open it gently, wipe the neck

   Cut the foil below the lip, pull the cork slowly, and wipe the rim of the bottle. An old cork can crumble: go in at a slight angle and take your time.

3. 03

   Pour slowly, with a light under the neck

   Hold the decanter at a slight tilt and pour in one steady movement so the wine runs down the glass. Keep the light under the shoulder of the bottle so you can see through the neck. Do not tip the bottle back up between pours: that stirs the sediment.
4. 04

   Stop at the sediment

   When a dark line of sediment reaches the neck, stop. Usually a centimetre or two of wine stays in the bottle. That is the price of a clean glass.

How to decant a young wine

A young wine has no sediment to worry about, so the goal is air. Pour it straight into a wide decanter, quickly, so it splashes against the glass. Some sommeliers swirl the decanter gently a few times. Then wait: see how long to decant each wine.

Double decanting: serve from the bottle

Pour the wine into the decanter, rinse the empty bottle with a little water, let it drain, and pour the wine back into the bottle through a funnel. The wine has had its air and its sediment is gone, and your guests still see the label. It is a common trick for dinner parties.

No decanter? Three ways that work

1. A clean glass jug or carafe. It decants the same way. See decanter, carafe or aerator.
2. Large glasses. Pour a young wine into big bowls and swirl. It opens faster than in the bottle.
3. A second bottle or jar. For sediment, pour slowly over a light into any clean vessel and stop at the deposit.

Common mistakes

• Shaking an old bottle on the way to the table, so the sediment clouds the wine again.
• Pouring the last drops. The bitter sediment is all in that final centimetre.
• Decanting a very old wine an hour early. It can fade before you drink it.
• A decanter that smells of soap or of the cupboard. Rinse it with a splash of the wine first if in doubt.

How to decant: your questions