Quote:
Originally posted by FILO
However, decanting does not improve the quality of the wine and thus is not necessary unless you object to small particles floating in your glass. Instead allowing the wine to “breathe” is much more important and failing to do so can dramatically impact the taste. That is the single biggest mistake most folks make in serving “good wine.” Pop that cork anywhere from 30 to 45 minutes prior to serving. If the wine is of poor quality, you will not notice any substantial change between 30 seconds and 45 minutes; however, if it is excellent wine and aged appropriately you will definitely notice a rather dramatic increase in the subtlety and flavor.
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FILO, the principal purpose of decanting is to let the wine breathe, not to remove sediment (although decanters help with that also). Wine won't breathe much if you just open the bottle. If you aren't going to use a decanter, at least pour a half glass of wine to get some air into the bottle, then let it breathe in the bottle.