Wine Decanters

[greg_atlanta]

Whatever you choose, don't put it in the dishwasher. I have a $30 decanter from Williams-Sonoma which is similar to the Ikea model pictured (fat bottom and thin neck), but it has some baked-in dishwasher crud inside which is impossible to remove.

 

[spertia]

Originally Posted by greg_atlanta

it has some baked-in dishwasher crud inside which is impossible to remove.

I hate dishwasher crud. Why don't you try filling it with some hot/boiling water and letting it soak for a while? If that still doesn't work, try vigorously shaking the decanter (obviously with your hand over the opening) with a solution of iso alcohol and rock salt or dry rice. And then rinse thoroughly, naturally.

 

[greg_atlanta]

I've tried everything, including a coat hanger to scrape the stuff off. There are "decanter brushes" but I've heard mixed reviews. The crud doesn't affect the way the decanter works, just annoying. I think I'll start using it for flowers.

 

[awcollin]

Usually when I've used anything to clean a decanter, it's typically a soft-bristled wire brush (I don't know that it's a technical term, but that's the best I can do). A little hot water and however much scrubbing it can handle, and it will typically take it off. Most decanters, however, wil become discolored if used often.

 

[eg1]

The only way the scrubber works is to use it immediately after you rinse the wine out. Who feels like doing that when they're into their second or third bottle?

 

[California Dreamer]

My nephew is a chef in a winery restaurant, and he says the best wine decanter (from a functional view) is one of those chem lab flasks we all used to use in high school. Of course, that would not be gift ware.

 

[Huntsman]

<laughs> As an engineer, I sometimes serve wine and cocktails from a variety of Florence and Erlenmeyer flasks. I can see the Florence being an excellent decanter, but of course you need a stand for it.

 

[VKK3450]

Thanks to all the SF peeps for the great advice

I ended up getting her a short fat crystal decanter. I know that the short fat one might be more difficult to pour, but the thing just looked so damn good.

Gave it to her last night, and she loved it. Will have to crack something open to try it out.

Cheers

K

 

[pabloj]

Originally Posted by Piobaire

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/60083672
Hard to beat for 15 bucks. The filter helps aerate the wine on the way through, the main reason you decant. As the first reply said, the shape should maximize the surface area to encourage air contact.

Just tell everyone it is Riedel

Good as a starter, real crystal is a different thing.
Note that aerating wine is not injecting oxygen into it, the process has to be slow.

 

[Piobaire]

Originally Posted by pabloj

Good as a starter, real crystal is a different thing.
Note that aerating wine is not injecting oxygen into it, the process has to be slow.

From a chemical standpoint, decanting exposes a wine to air, triggering oxidation and evaporation. Wine is extremely complex, containing literally hundreds of compounds, but the fruit character that provides much of a wine's allure comes from a relatively small portion of them. Unfortunately, these crucial compounds oxidize easily. An oxidized wine will be stale and flat, devoid of richness. A wine's response to aeration depends upon its fruit concentration, as well as factors (such as pH and temperature) that mitigate oxidation.

Other compounds in wine can inhibit the expression of fruit character. Sulfites, for example, are added during the production process to prevent oxidation and inhibit microbial activity, but in excess they can impart a burnt matchstick character. Sulfides, a different class of compounds, can form naturally during winemaking and in the bottle, imparting undesirable traits such as rotten egg and onion skin aromas. Ideally, decanting allows undesirable compounds to evaporate faster than the fruit oxidizes.

http://www.winespectator.com/Wine/Ar...5,4385,00.html

Not every wine should be decanted. IMO, when you do do it, get it done with and drink your wine. It is fragile and ephemeral stuff. If you make it a slow process as stated above, you are gonna lose some of the highly volatile compounds that make a complex wine complex. A speedy aeration helps blow off the bad stuff, like sulfites, while allowing the tender compounds to be preserved long enough to appreciate. Just IMO though and what do I know?

Oh yeah, and the guys at Wine Spectator

 

[pabloj]

Originally Posted by Piobaire

...
Not every wine should be decanted ...
I'm with you on this, the rest is rubbish, it's the description of a wine that doesn't need decanting but just the right glass.

 

[Piobaire]

Originally Posted by pabloj

I'm with you on this, the rest is rubbish, it's the description of a wine that doesn't need decanting but just the right glass.

Everyone is an expert

The "right glass" is a mini-decanter, with a burgundy glass being the best example. Which, btw, is the very wine I am a proponent of decanting if it is heavy in earthy notes. To argue that glasses are mini-decanters would be, as you would say, "rubbish".

Anyways, you enjoy wine the way you want to, and I'll enjoy the paltry offerings I have the way I want to.

 

[Southern-Nupe]

Originally Posted by spertia

I hate dishwasher crud. Why don't you try filling it with some hot/boiling water and letting it soak for a while? If that still doesn't work, try vigorously shaking the decanter (obviously with your hand over the opening) with a solution of iso alcohol and rock salt or dry rice. And then rinse thoroughly, naturally.
Instead of alcohol, I tried lemon juice and rice, within a few hours and a variable shaking or 2, my decanter was a good as new.

 

[carlhuber]

Here's an art piece for you. Good if you know any botanists or cardiovascular surgeons:

http://decanter.free.fr/6.xhtml