Throw Away Your Decanters

In the March 21 issue of The New Yorker Magazine, in "The Critics" section, John Lanchester reviews a book by Nathan Myhrvold called _Modernist Cuisine: The Art and Science of Cooking_, a five volume tome weighing in at forty-six pounds. and selling for $625. The book is strictly for the white toqued kitchen pros, as Lanchester points out, but buried somewhere in it is a memorable solution to the young red wine problem. From the Lanchester review:

"They...claim to have a way of improving wine by "hyperdecanting" it via sixty seconds in a blender -- the idea being that it will benefit from the oxygenation and outgassing effects. My solemn, taking-one-for-the-team experiments with red wine have partly confirmed this for Schwarzeneggerian young reds."

Now why didn't I think of that?

gary vaynerchuk showed a ghetto move on his daily grape program where you take two glasses and pour the wine from one glass to another a couple of times and this agitates and opens the wine up more than just letting the bottle sit open, uncorked.

...gary vaynerchuk showed a ghetto move on his daily grape program where you take two glasses and pour the wine from one glass to another a couple of times and this agitates and opens the wine up more than just letting the bottle sit open, uncorked.

Not a "ghetto move" at all. An old and well known professional trick when tasting and you find a bottle that seems to be either in bottle shock or undergoing a dumb period. Pour back and forth 5-6 times and you will at least get a good clue as to whether the wine is in one of those conditions or is simply destined never to fully open.

Also a good bet when drinking a wine that strikes you as "too young". Pouring back and forth like that will not age the wine but it will most surely let it blossom forth during the time you are drinking it.

Best
Rogov

[David M. Bueker]

The author of that 40 pound, $625 tome was on Colbert the other night. Seems like a complete geek (of course meant as a compliment).

The blender trick has been talked about on various fora for at least 5 years. Make sure the cover is on tight!

(I prefer splash decanting or multiple pours back and forth myself).

[Robin Garr]

Oops, I did my take on that last Friday but got busy and failed to cross-post.

Buzz wine in a blender?

[James Roscoe]

Did you give up crossposting for Lent Robin? Isn't that taking your religious training a tad too seriously?

Splash decanting and the back and forth techniques are fine, but both are inferior to the tried and true motorboat method. All you need is a straw and a lung full of air.

Blenders and decent wine do not go together in my book.

Blenders and decent wine do not go together in my book.

Agreed in full!!!!

A buddy in Chicago has been doing this for various wines (and things like Grange and other big reds) for several years. Have tried a few bottles that have gone through the blender - though I still prefer decanting, or just opening the bottle well in advance.

I've never been a big fan of decanters, so, the Blender Idea wouldn't make it with me (Plus, I would think I was making a frozen margarita and throw in a few ice cubes)
I dont even like the new set of aerators on the market. Yeh, ok in a pinch to help breathe a wine, but I still like time.

Ron,

Do you normally decant wines with a lot of sediment?

Tom,
Honestly, I havent run into much of that in a long time. When I did have wines with a lot of sediment, I would do some decanting. But a lot of times (may sound stupid), but
I would carefully pour a wine with a lot of sediment into half glass by half glass and then start tasting it.

The most use of a decanter I have had was from old vintage ports, which I havent had much in a long time

I, for one, have only recently started decanting almost every red wine I open, sediment or not, young or old. Prior to this, I rarely decanted. I find that all reds are more to my liking after decanting. As I think about it, I am also decanting most reds for a longer period of time.

I admit to having faith in a radical and outlandish alternative... of waiting for the bottle to mature.

I, for one, have only recently started decanting almost every red wine I open, sediment or not, young or old. Prior to this, I rarely decanted. I find that all reds are more to my liking after decanting. As I think about it, I am also decanting most reds for a longer period of time.

In general not a bad idea but a HORRIBLE idea for aged red Burgundy, IMHO.

In general not a bad idea but a HORRIBLE idea for aged red Burgundy, IMHO.

I appreciate your advice, Tom, and will remember it should such a wine be on the agenda. What should I expect to happen with decanting an aged red Burgundy?

[David M. Bueker]

In general not a bad idea but a HORRIBLE idea for aged red Burgundy, IMHO.

I appreciate your advice, Tom, and will remember it should such a wine be on the agenda. What should I expect to happen with decanting an aged red Burgundy?

The received wisdom is that older red Burgundy needs to be allowed to open in the glass, lest some of its etheral perfume be missed. This is true in some cases, but the definition of what is aged varies from person to person. Our dear Maureen Nelson decants some red Burgundy back to '90 (at this point), and it has been nothing but useful when I have shared the wines with her.

It's old news. Note the date on this blog post. Both year and day
http://wineforspicewarrenedwardes.blogs ... u-vin.html

But if I wanted to get air into a wine quickly I might be tempted.

It's old news. Note the date on this blog post. Both year and day
<span><a class="linkclass" href="http://wineforspicewarrenedwardes.blogspot.com/2009/04/le-whizz-du-vin.html">http://wineforspicewarrenedwardes.blogspot.com/2009/04/le-whizz-du-vin.html</a></span>

But if I wanted to get air into a wine quickly I might be tempted.

I was going to quietly re-release this on Friday.