Purchasing a decanter... Hints? This is confusing.

[Luis_DeCubas]

Dan,

I am very happy with the Riedel Cabernet Wine Decanter. It is on sale at the Wine Enthusiast. Also I recommend getting a decanter cleaning brush.

http://www.wineenthusiast.com/riedel-cabernet-wine-decanter.asp?afid=MYBYEML" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[David_K_o_l_i_n]

@CWun

@Jeff Twersky

I agree with Kent: conical lab beakers.

+1 and a beaker cleaning brush.

+2 American Science and Surplus = $8.50

[Nate_Simon]

A few points:

1. If you spend more than $30 on a decanter, you are smoking crack.

2. Any old container made of nonreactive materials can be a decanter. Find a nice flower vase you have laying around the house. Nobody will know it’s not a cutting-edge art deco decanter.

3. Give some thought to “double decanting”: decant into a container of some sort (e.g. Pyrex measuring cup), then back into the bottle via a funnel. Aerates, but not in too fast-forward a manner.

4. Give some real thought to why you are decanting in the first place. Most wines do not need decanting, period. Sediment is NOT in itself a reason to decant! Remember that by simply pouring a glass or two if the wine, you are rather significantly aerating the wine.

[Tony_Mastres]

This one’s my current and favorite: http://www.wineenthusiast.com/visual-wine-decanter.asp" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Hey, anyone got any crack?

[Rick_Gregory]

@Nate Simon

…

4. Give some real thought to why you are decanting in the first place. Most wines do not need decanting, period. Sediment is NOT in itself a reason to decant! Remember that by simply pouring a glass or two if the wine, you are rather significantly aerating the wine.

Agreed with thinking about it, but some wines benefit from decanting even if they don’t need it and you might want to do it due to the situation - for example, if the wines are being matched with courses or you otherwise don’t want to wait for the wine to open up via a pop and pour.

I do decant off sediment as repeated tipping to pour will usually stir the sediment and I don’t care for sediment in my wine.

[Roy_Hersh]

Dan,


As your Port and Raider Nation brother, if you are looking for a good decanter for Port, you will want a wider bottom to the decanter. For most other wines, it is not necessary, but as I know you drink a decent amount of Port, consider one with a wider bottom. The surface area is key for those longer decanting situations. I also like the Riedel Vinum Mag decanter for this reason. I can put a youngster, like a 1985 Fonseca in it for 12 hours and it is ready to go. Put it in a normal vase like glass decanter or the beaker type and you’d need over a full day. Just sayin’ …

[Gerhard_P]

Seriously:
it (almost) doesn´t matter …!

However there are some tiny details:

• for everyday use prefer a higher decanter without to large a surface … some aromatic wines can loose bouquet in Barolo-shaped decanters, and the last drops can be quite hard to pour …
• it should be easily cleanable inside … so again not to broad …
• it should not be to fragile - otherwise you need another one soon

Since I´m organizing tastings I need at least 12 decanters … I have 15+ and at least 6 different shapes … never ever have I recognized any difference in the quality of the wine due to shape …

So I would recommend NOT to spend too much money, except it should be very representative …

With the years I got more and more into the method of Audouzing … meaning uncorking the bottle for 3-6 hours … and only then decanting the wine for 5-20 min. … so the decanter really doesn´t matter !

[Victor_Hong]

@Jeff Twersky

I agree with Kent: conical lab beakers.

Not the best presentation for Sauternes/Barsac or older white wines.

@Nate Simon

A few points:

1. If you spend more than $30 on a decanter, you are smoking crack.

2. …

I have heard that also about spending more than $30 for a bottle of wine.

[Dan_Hammer]

Wow. Thanks for the education folks. I know my wife would like a pretty decanter, but I think I’ll go with functional.

[Scott_Butler]

@Tony Mastres

This one’s my current and favorite: http://www.wineenthusiast.com/visual-wine-decanter.asp" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Hey, anyone got any crack?

I was eyeballin that one - looks nice and the punt probably makes it easy to hold.

[Howard_Cooper]

http://www.crateandbarrel.com/family.aspx?c=4350&f=25496&q=decanter&fromLocation=Search&DIMID=400001&SearchPage=1" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

This works.

[Frank_Drew]

@Nate Simon

A few points:

1. If you spend more than $30 on a decanter, you are smoking crack.

2. Any old container made of nonreactive materials can be a decanter. Find a nice flower vase you have laying around the house. Nobody will know it’s not a cutting-edge art deco decanter.

3. Give some thought to “double decanting”: decant into a container of some sort (e.g. Pyrex measuring cup), then back into the bottle via a funnel. Aerates, but not in too fast-forward a manner.

4. Give some real thought to why you are decanting in the first place. Most wines do not need decanting, period. Sediment is NOT in itself a reason to decant! Remember that by simply pouring a glass or two if the wine, you are rather significantly aerating the wine.

Agree with 1-3 but you lose me on #4: IMO, sediment very often IS a reason to decant, unless you like murky, gritty wines, and for opening a wine up it’s been my experience that some decanting is more often a benefit than not.

[ken_emery]

@Jeff Twersky

I agree with Kent: conical lab beakers.

I believe what you want is actually called an Erlenmeyer flask. They should be available at a chemical supply shop near you. Brewery supply stores also carry them (usually the 1L and 2L versions which should be good in this instance).

Erlenmeyer flask - Wikipedia" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[J_a_y_H_a_c_k]

Buy the cheap Reidel they sell at Target for about $20. Light weight, easy to hold, reasonable resistence to breakage, easy to pour and easy to clean. My favorite is actually the Reidel “O” Pitcher Decanter. It is just a cylinder with a very small lip at the top. perfect for double decanting because the lip is smaller than a wine bottle opening. I got it at Bed Bath & Beyond at an after Christmas Close Out for $10. If I had known how much I liked them. I would have bought all they had.

[Dave_Dalluge]

Lots of great responses here.
One thing that hasn’t been mentioned is lids – the last three decanters I’ve purchased have lids.
I tend to use one decanter frequently and the rest sit out, going weeks or months between uses. It’s nice to be able to use them at any time without worrying about dust marring the wine.