October 2014
"We can decant..."
At one of our recent wine classes to the students on our 12 Week Certificate course here at Ballymaloe Cookery School, we used the 'Eve' wine decanter, made by Riedel. 'To decant or not to decant?' is a question much asked! In this instance, showing a 2010 Medoc, one should decant. A decanter can both fulfull the aesthetically pleasing role of a wine in an elegant vessel on the table and, of course, that all important 'opening up' of the wine - to let it breathe (as the expression goes) - in this case, essential! Careful decanting of course is required if the wine has sediment because it has thrown sediment over time, or is fashionably unfiltered. That is where that romantic candle further justifies its place at the table, as a light source under the shoulders of the bottle to allow one to see the stream of sediment approaching the neck.
One can also 'double decant', where a young wine or certain style requires additional aeration in advance of serving. Double decanting is simply decanting the wine from the decanter into another decanter (or back into the bottle, having been pre-rinsed if necessary due to sediment)
The clever people at Riedel - the celebrated 11th generation Austrian glass producer - designed this 'Eve' decanter to be the only decanter in the world to double decant within itself. The first decant is the pouring of the wine into the decanter. To pour the wine, it necessitates a full rotation of the bulb of the decanter to move the wine into a pouring position - the wine simply won't come out otherwise. So that robust rotation is the second decant as vigorous aeration occurs with that rotation (and making a suitable gurgling sound.) When demonstrated by Max Riedel himself, he tells us that the sound is meant to replicate the sound of the engine of a Porsche 911, and I must say, it does sound most impressive when he demonstrates it. (By the way, we hope to have some news shortly on a possible event in the Spring at Ballymaloe House with Riedel, and maybe with Max Riedel in attendance himself!)
So, decanting and decanters are worthwhile and can be fun. Give it a try! Just be extra careful with any old bottles of wine that, once exposed to air after decades in the bottle, will change before your very eyes and nose!
