Holiday Wines

Winter and the holiday season is a great time to enjoy big, hearty meals and a full, big wine to go with it. This is the time to enjoy cabs, merlots, brunellos, or Chateau-neufs.

While ordering these big, luscious wines, you need to think about the opportunity to decant your wine. Unfortunately, a lot of people (and even some restaurants) decant a wine because it looks impressive. Well, that is true if it done correctly, but decanting a wine sometimes is the wrong decision to make.

So remember that there are two reasons why you may want to decant your wine.
• Is the wine old enough that sediment may have settled in the bottle?
• Is the wine young enough that it may have not fully matured?

Let’s start with the second scenario. Most big wines need time in the bottle to mature. Depending on the wine, it may take the wine 10 – 15 years to mature. So, if you order one of these wines and it has not fully matured, then you want to “air it out.” Mixing the wine with air will accelerate the maturation process. So, decant the wine and leave it on the table while you enjoy cocktails, appetizers, and salads, and then pour it with the entrée.

Now let’s turn to the first scenario, this wine should be old enough to be fully matured, so it does not need any time to mix with air. But over time, sediment will gather in a bottle as residue from grape skins, etc. will separate from the liquid. So, decant the wine in order to leave the sediment in the bottle or in the filter, and then serve and drink immediately. Keep in mind, that if you let an older wine sit in the decanter for an extended period, it may actually lose some of its body and taste.

So, enjoy the holiday season. Order a big, hearty meal and enjoy a big, robust wine the right way.