decant the wine

Meaning

This phrase refers to the process of gently pouring wine from its original bottle into a special container, called a decanter, before serving. It is done to separate the liquid from any bitter sediment that has formed over time and to expose the wine to oxygen, which enhances its aroma and flavor. This term is most frequently used in fine dining, wine tasting, and formal hosting contexts.

Examples

• Please decant the wine at least an hour before the guests arrive to let it breathe.

  Please decant the wine at least an hour before the guests arrive to let it breathe.

• The sommelier recommended we decant the wine to separate it from the heavy sediment.

  The sommelier recommended we decant the wine to separate it from the heavy sediment.

• If you are serving an older vintage, you should decant the wine very carefully.

  If you are serving an older vintage, you should decant the wine very carefully.

• I always decant the wine into a crystal carafe for our anniversary dinners.

  I always decant the wine into a crystal carafe for our anniversary dinners.

• Should we decant the wine, or is it ready to be poured directly from the bottle?

  Should we decant the wine, or is it ready to be poured directly from the bottle?

Common Mistakes

• ✗ We need to filter the wine into the decanter.

  ✓ We need to decant the wine.

  'Filter' implies using a physical mesh or paper filter, which ruins the presentation and texture of a fine wine; 'decant' is the correct culinary term for pouring gently to separate sediment.

• ✗ I decanted the wine out of my drinking glass.

  ✓ I poured the wine out of my drinking glass.

  You only 'decant' wine from its original bottle into a decanter or carafe, not from a glass.

Related Expressions

Practice

• Before serving that vintage Cabernet, you should ___ to remove the sediment.

  💡 Pour it carefully into a special glass container first.

  Show answer

  decant the wine

• The host forgot to ___, so the first few pours had a bit of sediment.

  💡 Pouring the wine carefully into a carafe.

  Show answer

  decant the wine