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Do you always decant the full bottle? - 12/19/2023 8:38:30 AM   
Claymonster

 

Posts: 67
Joined: 1/18/2023
From: Claymont, DE
Status: offline 		As many of us do, I decant young wines and give them some air before drinking. Full bottle into the decanter. But for whatever reason, recently I noticed that the bottle isn't getting finished by the end of the night (maybe the combination of food, wine, fireplace, and early sunset is making me too sleepy?). So I end up putting whatever is left in the decanter, which is normally about a third of a bottle, back into the bottle, corking it, and sticking it in the fridge until the next day. And usually whatever is left is not as good on day two. Between the initial decant, the time spent in the decanter, and then getting repoured back into the bottle and then sitting in the fridge for hours, that's a lot of air. Now I'm thinking to myself that I should start out by pouring 2/3 into the decanter, leaving the remaining 1/3 of the recorked bottle in the fridge for the next day.

What do you do? Do you always decant the full bottle and make sure you finish it? What do you do if you don't finish it? Do you decant part of the bottle? Some other method?

Cheers!
Post #: 1
RE: Do you always decant the full bottle? - 12/19/2023 8:53:37 AM   
jmcmchi

 

Posts: 3223
Joined: 8/6/2013
Status: offline 		It doesn’t happen often, but when it does I cover the decanter with clingfilm. It doesn’t alter the amount of air exposure, but theoretically it means there should be no movement of air currents…

I also have a lot of 0.25l carafes I could use as an alternative

(in reply to Claymonster)
Post #: 2
RE: Do you always decant the full bottle? - 12/19/2023 8:53:55 AM   
ChrisinCowiche

 

Posts: 7853
Joined: 12/16/2009
From: Cowiche, WA
Status: offline 		Interesting question. First, I usually do a slow ox, where I pour off a glass, or two small pours for the two of us, and just let the wine in bottle and glass sit for an hour. If there is any left in the bottle later, it just gets re-corked having never left the bottle. If I do decide to decant/vinturi/screen for various reasons, I do decant the whole bottle into a decanter. If that doesn't get drank, I'll seal the decanter as is. We have a rubber stopper thing designed to fit most decanters. If that is not around, or in use elsewhere, a piece of Saran wrap does the trick. I'll often forget about the unfinished bottle or decanter the next day, but when I remember often the wine is better than day one. It all depends on the individual wine of course.

ETA, another thing. Refrigerator space is non-existing thing in our house, so my leftovers usually just sit on a kitchen counter overnight. Reds more than whites. I will try to find a spot for leftover white in the frig, and those often become cooking wine. Again, due to the forget it's there factor.

< Message edited by ChrisinCowiche -- 12/19/2023 9:01:07 AM >

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RE: Do you always decant the full bottle? - 12/19/2023 9:18:19 AM   
wineismylife

 

Posts: 6496
Joined: 11/7/2006
From: Arlington, TX
Status: offline 		If you regularly have leftovers like this my personal recommendation is get yourself a couple of 375ml bottles with screwcap closures and funnel from the 750ml into the 375ml until it is just about to the top and screw on the cap tightly. Then decant what's left into the decanter. Leave the 375ml in the cellar for the next day. It'll be much fresher that way and if you're particularly thirsty that evening you can always keep pouring from the 375ml once the decanter is emptied.

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RE: Do you always decant the full bottle? - 12/19/2023 9:27:15 AM   
recotte

 

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quote:

ORIGINAL: wineismylife

If you regularly have leftovers like this my personal recommendation is get yourself a couple of 375ml bottles with screwcap closures and funnel from the 750ml into the 375ml until it is just about to the top and screw on the cap tightly. Then decant what's left into the decanter. Leave the 375ml in the cellar for the next day. It'll be much fresher that way and if you're particularly thirsty that evening you can always keep pouring from the 375ml once the decanter is emptied.


This would be my recommendation, as well, if it's a recurring issue.

In the rare event that I've taken the trouble to actually decant a bottle (vs slow-ox, like Chris, above) and not finish it, I have a handful of Erlenmeyer flasks in different sizes, as well as a couple of spare 375ml bottles, that I'll select from to hold the leftovers, trying to minimize excess air space. I sometimes use the flasks as my decanters, especially if I need to transport the wine in the decanter, as they're sturdy and pretty stable.

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RE: Do you always decant the full bottle? - 12/19/2023 9:27:40 AM   
wine247365

 

Posts: 1014
Joined: 5/1/2012
From: OC, CA
Status: offline 		Deleted ( 375 solution posted quicker than mine)

< Message edited by wine247365 -- 12/19/2023 9:29:39 AM >

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RE: Do you always decant the full bottle? - 12/19/2023 10:42:39 AM   
Claymonster

 

Posts: 67
Joined: 1/18/2023
From: Claymont, DE
Status: offline 		Thanks for the replies everyone. Appreciate the insights. Gonna have to buy a screwcap 375s and implement that method. Cheers.

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Post #: 7
RE: Do you always decant the full bottle? - 12/19/2023 11:26:37 AM   
Chip Merlot

 

Posts: 529
Joined: 10/13/2013
From: NJ
Status: offline 		I have a few 375's, a 250 (from duty-free in Paris) and a couple 187.5-ish Barefoot Cellars chardonnay bottles (purchased to cook with), all with screw caps, just for this reason. I've gotten pretty good at sizing up the appetite for wine and filling one of those before decanting or pouring for myself and guests.

< Message edited by Chip Merlot -- 12/19/2023 11:28:24 AM >

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Post #: 8
RE: Do you always decant the full bottle? - 12/19/2023 3:40:56 PM   
Franklin 10

 

Posts: 1419
Joined: 12/8/2011
From: Indianapolis
Status: offline 		Boston Rounds for wine storage became a thing during COVID when virtual tastings were developed, and samples needed to be sent in good containers (glass container, reusable cap, good seal, and recessed closure to eliminate air at the ceiling). I use something like this with great results:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CJMRQ79R/ref=sspa_dk_detail_0?pd_rd_i=B0CJMRQ79R&pd_rd_w=qRfdX&content-id=amzn1.sym.f734d1a2-0bf9-4a26-ad34-2e1b969a5a75&pf_rd_p=f734d1a2-0bf9-4a26-ad34-2e1b969a5a75&pf_rd_r=1GEY0E3K2PEM1CPDXWEH&pd_rd_wg=asKmP&pd_rd_r=9b3d8df2-6319-4889-ac1c-22aba2fe09a4&s=hi&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9kZXRhaWw&th=1

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Post #: 9
RE: Do you always decant the full bottle? - 12/19/2023 7:59:49 PM   
rogerjanss

 

Posts: 64
Joined: 9/7/2014
Status: offline 		This is also the perfect use case for Coravin, especially if you do not plan to finish the bottle on the next day. Also if you want to sample multiple bottles (white and red) on same day.

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Post #: 10
RE: Do you always decant the full bottle? - 12/20/2023 12:59:20 AM   
Echinosum

 

Posts: 604
Joined: 1/28/2021
From: Buckinghamshire, UK
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: Claymonster
As many of us do, I decant young wines and give them some air before drinking.

I find many younger wines - red and white - continue to improve for even as much as 3 or 4 days after being decanted, even sitting around in a stoppered half-empty bottle in the fridge. "Younger" is contextual, some wines stay "young" for much longer than others. It generally takes me 3 or 4 days to finish a bottle, as mostly I'm the only drinker. Sometimes I wish I'd put the remains in a smaller bottle, but not often. And since many red wines are actually good to drink on the cool side, it doesn't always annoy me that I have to leave my glass to warm up after pouring on subsequent days.

My usual routine is to decant into a jug and back into the bottle, having rinsed out the bottle if necessary. Quite a few people here have indicated that they do this. That's largely to do with it being easy to put a wine bottle in the fridge, but not a decanter.

I would slow ox an older wine, and try to put the remains in a smaller bottle.

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Post #: 11
RE: Do you always decant the full bottle? - 12/20/2023 7:42:50 AM   
hankj

 

Posts: 4672
Joined: 6/26/2008
From: Seattle, WA
Status: offline 		I almost never decant a whole bottle of wine. Only.the hardest of the hard. Otherwise pop cork let stand.



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Post #: 12
RE: Do you always decant the full bottle? - 12/20/2023 10:58:39 AM   
wine247365

 

Posts: 1014
Joined: 5/1/2012
From: OC, CA
Status: offline 		Unless I’ve decided early enough in the day as to what I’m drinking that evening AND have uncorked it for some hours, I always try to decant each bottle of red. I think it helps each wine show better, no matter how young or old or cheap or expensive.

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RE: Do you always decant the full bottle? - 12/20/2023 11:51:24 AM   
wadcorp

 

Posts: 9336
Joined: 10/29/2008
From: Kansas City, MO
Status: offline 		Wait! You guys don't finish wine?

.

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Post #: 14
RE: Do you always decant the full bottle? - 12/20/2023 11:16:35 PM   
grafstrb

 

Posts: 8837
Joined: 11/6/2007
From: LAla land
Status: offline 		I always decant the full bottle; an important reason why I do this is to get the wine off whatever sediment may be present.

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Post #: 15
RE: Do you always decant the full bottle? - 12/21/2023 12:16:49 AM   
Echinosum

 

Posts: 604
Joined: 1/28/2021
From: Buckinghamshire, UK
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: wadcorp
Wait! You guys don't finish wine?

I really, really don't want to drink a whole bottle at a time. For my wife doesn't help me. And for me, a whole bottle would certainly be plenty to give me the unpleasant after-effects of over-indulgence, because I rarely drink that quantity and am unaccustomed to it. Even half a bottle of this increasingly common 14%-15% stuff gets to the point of mildly unpleasant after-effects. And then there is the potential long term health effects of over-indulgence over the longer term. Even when my father is here, we don't finish a whole bottle.

By portioning it out, I can have a glass of wine most days. I suppose I'm lucky that I have the self-control to look at the bottle and say, that's my portion for today, this bottle has to last so many more days. Because I know not everyone can do that.

Maybe it helps that I don't like being drunk, or even tipsy, it's never been a pleasant sensation to me. But I do love the taste of wine. And I'm sure none of us likes the after-effects of over-indulgence.

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Post #: 16
RE: Do you always decant the full bottle? - 12/21/2023 8:37:32 AM   
eshelman

 

Posts: 3
Joined: 12/30/2015
Status: offline 		I am very surprised that no one has mentioned using a wine preserver (argon gas). On the rare occasions we do not finish a bottle, we use the preserver and recork the bottle. The argon (heavier than air) forms a layer over the wine the prevents further oxygenation. If we decanted the wine, we simply pour the wine back into the bottle. It would take a lot more preserver to properly isolate the wine from the air in a decanter. Using the above method, a red wine put back into the cellar will last at least another week.

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Pinehurst, NC

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RE: Do you always decant the full bottle? - 12/22/2023 12:57:51 PM   
KPB

 

Posts: 4663
Joined: 11/25/2012
From: Ithaca, New York
Status: offline 		My approach if we have no guests is to open but not decant, a few hours early. We drink half, recork, and finish the bottle the next day or the day after.

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RE: Do you always decant the full bottle? - 12/22/2023 1:03:53 PM   
Blue Shorts

 

Posts: 2780
Joined: 2/5/2008
From: Santa Cruz
Status: offline 		If I open a wine that needs air, I typically use a Vinturi to aerate the wine a glass at a time. I tend to only use a decanter when I'm concerned about sediment or when with a group at a nice restaurant.....for the presentation,.

< Message edited by Blue Shorts -- 12/22/2023 1:06:15 PM >

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Post #: 19
RE: Do you always decant the full bottle? - 12/22/2023 1:09:31 PM   
ChrisinCowiche

 

Posts: 7853
Joined: 12/16/2009
From: Cowiche, WA
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: Blue Shorts

If I open a wine that needs air, I typically use a Vinturi to aerate the wine a glass at a time.


Interesting. I've had a Vinturi for 10+ years and have never used it glass by glass. Always do a whole bottle into a decanter. This method in our house is assisted by the fact we have a Vinturi stand added a few years ago, clearance at TJ Maxx I think. But I can certainly see why by the glass might be preferred if the whole bottle is not being consumed.

< Message edited by ChrisinCowiche -- 12/22/2023 1:10:36 PM >

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RE: Do you always decant the full bottle? - 1/12/2024 8:12:44 PM   
davidandrose

 

Posts: 16
Joined: 12/31/2006
Status: offline 		When uncertain how a wine will evolve I routinely decant 1/2 to 2/3 of a bottle, leaving the rest in-place and gassing-it off. Of course more often than not we (moreso I) end up draining the bottle before bed, but it really does provide insights regarding how to handle (decant vs slow ox) future bottles.

While we were early adopters of the coravin we quickly became skeptics after revisiting many wines 3-8 months after initially coravining and found a wine that had notably aged. Even did this blind to my wife several times, and her she consistently thought a wine was much older/not as youthful as she had vs initially accessing a bottle several months earlier.

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RE: Do you always decant the full bottle? - 1/13/2024 3:48:32 AM   
KPB

 

Posts: 4663
Joined: 11/25/2012
From: Ithaca, New York
Status: offline 		+1 on decanting just what we will drink. And on coravin.

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RE: Do you always decant the full bottle? - 1/13/2024 12:40:46 PM   
WineGuyCO

 

Posts: 3802
Joined: 9/5/2017
From: Living at 7200 ft. in Monument CO
Status: offline 		A CT friend turned me on the the Repour Wine Saver & Stopper. They are available on Amazon. Single use that dispenses argon gas into the bottle. Cool & inexpensive.

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RE: Do you always decant the full bottle? - 1/14/2024 6:32:26 PM   
River Rat

 

Posts: 1339
Joined: 4/29/2010
From: Forestville, CA
Status: offline 		What do you do? Buy better wine.

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Post #: 24
RE: Do you always decant the full bottle? - 1/16/2024 10:08:19 AM   
BRR

 

Posts: 1847
Joined: 9/1/2009
From: Seattle, WA
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: Echinosum

quote:

ORIGINAL: Claymonster
As many of us do, I decant young wines and give them some air before drinking.

I find many younger wines - red and white - continue to improve for even as much as 3 or 4 days after being decanted, even sitting around in a stoppered half-empty bottle in the fridge. "Younger" is contextual, some wines stay "young" for much longer than others. It generally takes me 3 or 4 days to finish a bottle, as mostly I'm the only drinker. Sometimes I wish I'd put the remains in a smaller bottle, but not often. And since many red wines are actually good to drink on the cool side, it doesn't always annoy me that I have to leave my glass to warm up after pouring on subsequent days.

My usual routine is to decant into a jug and back into the bottle, having rinsed out the bottle if necessary. Quite a few people here have indicated that they do this. That's largely to do with it being easy to put a wine bottle in the fridge, but not a decanter.

I would slow ox an older wine, and try to put the remains in a smaller bottle.

I know it's personal preference and you've pointed that out by using, "I find...", but I wholeheartedly disagree that many wines improve open over 3 or 4 days. It's a rare occasion that I find a wine to be better on day two or beyond than it was on day one.

I decant roughly 25% of bottles I open but, then again, most of the fine wines I open are aged properly for my palate. When I do decant, I decant the whole bottle and we rarely don't finish it. It helps that my spouse likes wine just as much as I do and two nice glasses isn't too much for us.

< Message edited by BRR -- 1/16/2024 10:09:03 AM >

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RE: Do you always decant the full bottle? - 1/16/2024 11:18:01 AM   
CranBurgundy

 

Posts: 8272
Joined: 1/5/2016
From: Philly / South Joizey
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: recotte


quote:

ORIGINAL: wineismylife

If you regularly have leftovers like this my personal recommendation is get yourself a couple of 375ml bottles with screwcap closures and funnel from the 750ml into the 375ml until it is just about to the top and screw on the cap tightly. Then decant what's left into the decanter. Leave the 375ml in the cellar for the next day. It'll be much fresher that way and if you're particularly thirsty that evening you can always keep pouring from the 375ml once the decanter is emptied.


This would be my recommendation, as well, if it's a recurring issue.



Mark me down as in this camp. I have a couple 375ml screwcap bottles for just this purpose.

quote:

ORIGINAL: wadcorp

Wait! You guys don't finish wine?

.


My wife won't drink Port, and I rarely have more than 1 glass at night, so your answer in that case is "yes, I don't finish a bottle of Port in one sitting."

;


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Post #: 26
RE: Do you always decant the full bottle? - 2/18/2024 12:20:46 AM   
GraemeG

 

Posts: 468
Joined: 7/5/2009
From: Sydney, Australia
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: wadcorp

Wait! You guys don't finish wine?

.

Indeed. This notion of "unfinished wine" is very confusing to me.

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Post #: 27
RE: Do you always decant the full bottle? - 2/22/2024 11:55:06 AM   
mutwonmax

 

Posts: 30
Joined: 1/27/2024
Status: offline 		I usually try a glass from the bottle before decanting any wine. Sometimes I decant for aesthetic reasons alone. But mostly I decant when I get the feeling the wine could be better than what it tastes from with the first sips, especially so when it tastes not integrated enough / round enough / too acidic. Some Riojas I have, give me that sensation even when they are 5 -10 years old. And some of those taste a lot better to me on day two (or even day 3) than on day one. The most fitting example from my cellar here is the "Vina Real Gran Reserva" form 2014 or 2015. Those bottles I usually try to open a day in advance. Then I decant half the bottle for day two and on day 3 I pour from the bottle or decant the rest. Such wines, where I hope for improvement over 1-2 days I dont even put into the fridge over night. Ill put them back into the cellar where there's around 16 C°. I only decant the entire bottle when Im sure it'll be finished in one sitting (but - alas - we dont live in a perfect world ;-)

Seperating the wine from winestone or similar residue in the bottle has never been a reason for me to decant. I think Im fairly alone on this one and only for very few wines the residue at the bottom of a bottle is considered drinkable (like some good burgundys or so). However, I never found it difficult to pour a bottle and hold the residue back while pouring the (more or less) last sip from it.

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Post #: 28
RE: Do you always decant the full bottle? - 2/22/2024 12:17:34 PM   
wicozani

 

Posts: 284
Joined: 8/15/2009
Status: offline 		Unless it's a 30-year red Bordeaux, nearly every bottle of red wine (and quite a few bottles of white wine including Champagne) get tossed in an ehrlenmeyer decanter. The changes can be enormous, especially for those bottles that appear initially well over-the-hill. Even inexpensive bottles are usually improved by decanting.

I am less impressed with the 'slow ox' approach. Unless a few ounces is poured out of the bottle and said bottle being agitated, there is in my view insufficient air flow when simply opening and being left open.

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Post #: 29
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