Decanting

/dee-KANT-ing/

Pouring wine into another vessel for aeration or sediment removal.

Full Definition

Decanting transfers wine from bottle to another container (decanter). For young wines, it exposes wine to oxygen, softening tannins and releasing aromas. For old wines, it separates clear wine from sediment. Double decanting returns wine to the rinsed bottle for service.

Related Terms

aeration breathing sediment

See Also

carafe oxidation

Deacidification Back to Glossary Deep

More terms starting with D

Delestage

Rack-and-return technique for gentle extraction.

Demi-Sec

Medium-sweet sparkling wine.

Density

In tasting, the concentration of a wine; in viticulture, vine spacing.

Depth

Layers of flavor that reveal themselves over time.

Disgorgement

Removing sediment from sparkling wine after secondary fermentation.

Diurnal Range

The difference between day and night temperatures.