There are a few reasons you may want to decant your wine; for how it looks on the table, to aerate the wine, and/or to remove sediment.
Sediment is a buildup of natural byproducts that can be in both white wine and red wine, particularly older wine. Although not harmful, most of us don’t want to drink it.
To decant wine, let the bottle rest until the sediment collects at the bottom, then carefully pour wine from the bottle into the decanter, disturbing the sediment as little as possible. Keep an eye on the sediment and stop pouring when as the sediment moves into the neck of the bottle.
Decanting wine is pouring wine from the bottle into another container. Although not so common at home, decanting wine does have its place for three main reasons, first, to fine-tune the aesthetic on the table, second, to aerate young wines (it helps them open up), and third, to separate sediment from older wines. The latter is the main reason most people decant wine.
What is the Sediment in Wine?
Sediment in wine is made up of two things, tartrate crystals, which some call “wine diamonds”, and organic matter, including yeast cells, which I call “gunk”, but more mature people call “lees”.
While both tartrate crystals and lees are natural byproducts - and in no way harmful - most of us would prefer not to get a mouthful.
You get sediment in both white wine and red wine. As a generalization, you’ll tend to find more tartrate crystals in white wine and more lees in red wine.
Because colder temperatures promote the formation of tartrate crystals, and white wine is more likely to be stored cold, tartrate crystals are more likely to be found in your white wine.
Red wine gets color and tannin from contact with grape skins, seeds, and stems when it’s being made, so it has more organic particles suspended in the wine, which over time settles to the bottom.
Older wine is prone to sediment.
So, what do I do with Sediment?
You can drink it. It won’t harm you, but you probably won’t like it.
You could pour the wine through a strainer or cheesecloth, which can be messy and seems like overkill.
Or you can decant it. After all, that’s why the wine gods gave us decanters.
Decanting Wine
As I said at the top, decanting is pouring wine from the bottle into another container. The trick is to do it without disturbing the sediment in the process.
The vessel you transfer the wine into is not important. Designer decanters may be très chic, but any clean pitcher, jug, or even another bottle will work, with the latter having the benefits of limiting air contact/oxidation.
To decant successfully, leave your bottle standing upright for a day or two before serving so the sediment collects at the bottom*. Then, carefully pour the wine into the decanter, keeping a close eye on the sediment. Light backgrounds (like a white tablecloth), and backlighting (like a romantic candle), can help…a lot. Stop as the sediment moves into the neck of the bottle.
*Check out my Wine Storage Tip for a time saver on this step.