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Christmas Wine

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I gave a Musar a two hour decant for Christmas dinner. My wife stated that it tasted better, had opened up more in the glass
after 20-30 minutes. I agreed. It has doubled in price for the available vintage over the last 5-10 years.
 
andrew d said:
I gave a Musar a two hour decant for Christmas dinner. My wife stated that it tasted better, had opened up more in the glass
after 20-30 minutes.
Click to expand...
...which is again an older, long bottle-aged wine, like the Rioja in the BBR test...

eternumviti said:
I find a very vigorous decant can often open out a young wine.
Click to expand...

‘Very vigorous’ suggests a lot more than simply pouring the wine into another vessel. Is this approaching the QI recommendation of putting it in a blender?
 
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I’m somewhat neutral on decanting. The Musar we had recently is meant to be best after decanting, which is to be done a few hours (up to 24) after moving the bottle upright to sink the sediment - all this according to the bumf that came with the the bottles. Certainly the initial taste from the bottle after opening (in a glass, not a swig) was less nice than after a couple of hours decanting. I have some nicely matured Pontet-Canet to try soon, so I could try one bottle decanted and the other not to see what happens.

In other news, had the last of my 2012 Brazin tonight. Still delicious. Rich, velvety, lots of fruit, the right acidity (for me). Worth a go if you like that sort of thing.
 
Like others, mixed experiences with decanting. I have completely killed some old Burgundy reds by decanting too energetically. Other reds have benefited (mostly young & tannic). In many other cases, no great differences found versus just opening the bottle and pouring a glass half an hour before serving.
 
Meanwhile. in the land of cheap wines..

I'm easily pleased and have a liking for the softness which often characterises Merlots. One which I've bought for anything from around £6:00 per bottle up to around £7:50.. is good old Aussie Yellow Tail.

The other day, I spotted some in our local Co-op without a price tag. On enquiry I was told it was on at the rather odd price of £4:44. It's a long time since I've seen anything drinkable and of decent ABV at that price and I bought a couple of bottles. Today.. it was actually labelled up at £4:44.. so I bought a couple more. This all has me wondering whether they genuinely want to get rid of surplus stock.. whether someone has just made a mistake.. or whether they know something I don't know... This is the 2018 vintage..surely it's not going to deteriorate in that time?

What does the team think?
 
P.S. re: decanting. If I can hold out long enough I usually pour out a glass.. then replace the screwtop.. (rarely a cork or cork substitute) and just shake the hell out of the bottle for a few seconds. Sediment isn't a problem because I can't afford it.... ;)
 
Lot of interest in this aeration malarky.
I think my wine last night was slightly better (smoother but still had bouquet) on the second day but not much in it.
One of the problems with decanting is whether the decanter is really clean and dry. But you've got to do it if you know there is sediment...
Otherwise for many red wines opening about an hour before drinking (pour a glass on opening so wine in the bottle has the larger surface area of air above it) and some good swirling in a large glass between pontifications works for me.
 
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If a young wine is particularly closed up, dense or reductive, I pour into a decanter from a good height, then give the decanter a vigorous shake.
 
Well following recommendations on here - thank you,amongst other wines, I bought a bottle of Animus. A quick decant into an over large wide bottomed i.e. ships decanter and a vigorous shake and swirl later I am thoroughly enjoying it.
 
This evening we tried a bottle of Aldi’s Grande Alberone Zinfandel which went very well with the Ham, baked potatoes,salad, chutney etc. Will have to see if there is any more in store as it is unavailable on line.
 
Deglassting

Never one to shy away from a new obsession I now seem to have three different kinds of Riedel wine glasses. They are Restaurant Ouverture Red Wine (capacity 350ml), Riesling/Zinfandel Vinum (400ml) and Ouverture Magnum (500ml). Not only have is that in order of increasing capacity, it is my order of preference too. Having declared myself a decanter sceptic (and to date still am) I now find that I definitely enjoy wine more as the Riedel glass gets larger (no obvious jokes please) despite the faintly absurd sight of a proper amount of wine being barely visible in the bottom. Remember, this is straight from the bottle, no decanting involved. So if aeration is not a thing without a blender (says QI), is a bad thing (says Émile Peynaud), an uncertainty (BBR), or at the very least can only be achieved by shaking the living bejaysus out of a bottle or filling the decanter from the top of a ladder (pfm hive) - what gives? And if aeration is a thing, can it have - as I seem to be experiencing - a more beneficial effect in a slightly larger glass almost immediately?
 
A larger glass makes swirling easier and has a larger air surface.
For red wine there are stemless Riedel glasses that not only cost a lot less but have no stems to break.
You can use them for white too of course but your hand will be heating up the wine.
I like them but the woman in your life may not...something about elegance whatever that is.
 
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I'm a fan of Riedel too, and have gone down the restaurant route. I've got the pinot and shiraz varieties. Also have the vinum ones for champagne and a few others that I've picked up at the tastings over the years. Beware that their next big thing is decanting. Last tasting I went to it was all about decanting champagne and drinking it in the corresponding varietal glass, instead of a champagne coupe or flute. I haven't ventured down that rabbit warren yet, but I know I will some day.
On the wine front, someone was extolling the virtues of Vouvray sparkling. Anyone tried this?
 
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