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Friday, January 18, 2008
Deconstructing Decanting
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
At dinner the other night friends were talking about the latest “trend” they’ve seen at dinner parties — decanting wine. Seems folks are turned on by turning their wines out into glass decanters before serving. My friends even mentioned that one couple “blended” their own wine at the table, adding a little bit of a more medium bodied-red to a full-bodied red to “round it out.”
I have to say I was pretty aghast at the latter — I think perhaps the “blending” should best be left to the vintner.
We ordered a Clos Saint-Jean Chateauneuf du Pape 2004 — a big, full-bodied, slightly jammy red that could have easily been decanted to allow it to breathe, but I find it more interesting in a younger wine to allow that to happen in the glass, unless, as is the case with many young Italian reds, the nose is heavy with petroleum until it’s opened up a bit.
Decanting is generally done to 1) separate the wine from sediment that may have occurred during the wine’s aging, or 2) to allow a “tight” wine to breathe. Lately I’ve noticed several dining rooms decanting wines left and right willy nilly. Ugh. Is the decanter becoming the peppermill of the double 0s? Are we soon to have every red we order decanted whether it needs it or not? Don’t get me wrong — it’s wonderful when a waiter knows when and how to decant.
Who’s experienced this at local restaurants? Do you like it? Or do you think it’s a perceived value-added fad?
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