Decanting - to stopper or not to stopper? That is the question...

[Anthony M]

...what’s your preference? What rules of thumb do you use when deciding (a) when not to stopper and (b) differences in decanting profiles/times between the two?

[Eric Ifune]

Don't think it makes that much difference, unless in decanter for more than a day or two. The aeration of wine oxygenates far more than just the exposure of a smallish surface area in a decanter. A ship's decanter may do better.

[Andy Velebil]

Don't think it makes that much difference, unless in decanter for more than a day or two. The aeration of wine oxygenates far more than just the exposure of a smallish surface area in a decanter. A ship's decanter may do better.

I generally agree. I only cover the decanter if there is a possibility a fly will get into it (outside). Otherwise I usually just leave to top open.

[Moses Botbol]

I depends for me whether the port is a one time event or something I plan to drink over a few days. A few days port, I decant as gently as possible and use a cork right away.

[Anthony M]

I did an experiment last month, and my conclusion is that there is a *vast* difference between using a stopper and not. This may be due to a difference in evaporation rates. I encourage others to test and report back their experiences.

Here’s mine:

I opened a bottle of 2011 Fonseca LBV and poured it into two mini ship-style decanters - one I stoppered and the other I didn’t.

I sampled from both decanters every 2 hours for the first 10 hours, then from both decanters randomly over the next 3 days.

I noticed a slight difference even after just 2 hours, when the unstoppered decanter produced a better result (it was more open). By 6 hours, the unstoppered decanter had opened up nicely with better aromas and flavour, but the tannins were much harsher with tons of grip on the teeth & gums that the stoppered decanter didn’t have (it was smooth by comparison).

By 8 hours, the stoppered decanter was the better, because the unstoppered decanter produced an undrinkable rasping dry grip, with a bitter, dry finish.

By 30 hours, the stoppered decanter was still the better - producing a totally different drink that came alive with much calmer drinkable tannins. The aroma of the port in the unstoppered decanter was a pale shadow from the previous day, flavours were muted, and it showed a poor finish which lacked intensity and complexity.

On this occasion, I think the stoppered decanter kept the aromas and flavours fresher for longer with less extreme changes in tasting experience. The unstoppered decanter had the advantage of accelerating aeration, which opened the port quicker, but at the cost of losing a lot of character and playing havoc with the tannins, which was detrimental later on.

Next time, I will run this test blind, which will remove psychology from the mix.

[Tom Archer]

I always use the stopper..

[Andy Velebil]

From everything I've read on decanting, from scientists, physicists and winemakers, is that the act of pouring it into another vessel (decanter) is where the air molecules attach to the wine molecules and cause changes (the super short non-technical recap of that). Once it's in the decanter very little aeration happens as there is only a small surface area on top that is exposed. Of course shaking it up would increase things and what not. And each time tipping the decanter while pouring it into a glass will aerate it more as well. Thus pouring two large glasses versus 6 smaller ones over the same time period, the latter would cause more aeration and in theory cause more changes to the wine over the same amount of time.

That all said, I think people (That would be all of us wine nerds, me included) over think this at times and it ends of distracting from the enjoyment of the wine.

[Anthony M]

Once it's in the decanter very little aeration happens as there is only a small surface area on top that is exposed.

Are you suggesting that once its in the decanter then it’s not going to change much? We all know that’s not true from experience, so what is it you’re trying to say? In my experiment (see above) I used ship-style decanters which have a significant surface area and there seemed to be a vast difference between stoppering and not.

That all said, I think people (That would be all of us wine nerds, me included) over think this at times and it ends of distracting from the enjoyment of the wine.

I can’t agree more - overthinking things isn’t terribly helpful - especially when all it takes to answer the question is to crack open a bottle and see which method works best. And, by the way, that involves tasting and enjoying the wine, which we both agree is the the whole point of why we’re here.

Come on folks - stop pondering, thinking and theorising - get out of your armchairs and test it for yourselves. And, I encourage you to report back your findings here!

[Anthony M]

Don't think it makes that much difference, unless in decanter for more than a day or two. The aeration of wine oxygenates far more than just the exposure of a smallish surface area in a decanter. A ship's decanter may do better.

Ships decanter - is there any other decanter for port? I thought it was de rigueur...

[Eric Ifune]

When you talk about surface area relative to total volume, a regular decanter or carafe will be quite small. A ships decanter is the opposite. Where does one find "mini" ships decanter? Or a magnum one?

[Andy Velebil]

When you talk about surface area relative to total volume, a regular decanter or carafe will be quite small. A ships decanter is the opposite. Where does one find "mini" ships decanter? Or a magnum one?

I don't know. I love the smaller sized mini-ship decanters at Quinta do Noval. I know they've been there a long time and that I've never seen any like them anywhere else for sale. I have bought some smaller ones that are not ships decanters from the old Wine Exchange. They had someone who made them by hand and they were really nice and around $25 and not too big.

That all said, I've now got enough decanters to last a lifetime so I won't be buying anymore unless I break a bunch. As I bought a bunch of these at one point when a bunch of 'ers were coming over for an offline. The best $17.34 on a decanter I've spent.

https://www.webstaurantstore.com/spiege ... 00188.html

[Tom Archer]

Ships decanter - is there any other decanter for port? I thought it was de rigueur...

The ship design was exactly for that purpose - it is so base heavy that it can't fall over as a ship rolls. However, if you search for Victorian and Georgian decanters, that shape is rarely encountered. A lot of modern decanters are bowl shaped also - try browsing the UK eBay site - they often sell quite cheaply..

[Anthony M]

When you talk about surface area relative to total volume, a regular decanter or carafe will be quite small. A ships decanter is the opposite. Where does one find "mini" ships decanter? Or a magnum one?

I have a range of stoppered mini-ships decanters.

This one is amazing value, just £18, good for 250ml, but sadly out of stock
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00 ... UTF8&psc=1

This is a good alternative 250ml, which costs around £75 as a set on Amazon.
https://www.lsa-international.com/produ ... whisky-set

I use this for half-bottles - it sells for £38 on Amazon holds 500ml
https://www.lsa-international.com/produ ... anter-1118

All the above are glass, which is of course preferred for health reasons, because lead crystal is poisonous and the amounts leached when drinking regularly over decades are enough to be concerned.

Caveats out of the way, here’s a lead crystal alternative @£160 with a 428ml capacity:
https://www.waterford.co.uk/lismore-con ... s-decanter

[Moses Botbol]

However, if you search for Victorian and Georgian decanters, that shape is rarely encountered. A lot of modern decanters are bowl shaped also - try browsing the UK eBay site - they often sell quite cheaply..

I have a couple decanters from early 19th century from the UK and they did not break the bank. I think like $150 each?

[Eric Menchen]

When you talk about surface area relative to total volume, a regular decanter or carafe will be quite small. A ships decanter is the opposite. Where does one find "mini" ships decanter? Or a magnum one?

A small wine shop near me had a small ship's decanter a while back and my wife got me one. The store, however, has since closed.

Here's a half-bottle decanter, and the page has a link to a magnum decanter as well:
http://www.bellacor.com/productdetail/b ... 726572.htm

[Roy Hersh]

I have 18 decanters of varying sizes and shapes.

That being said, I never stopper a decanter.

[Eric Ifune]

I've a bunch of decanters as well including some fancy ones from Baccarat and Bohemia. I even have a tregnum sized one. I never use them however and find myself using an old Paul Masson glass carafe.

[Roy Hersh]

Well, the old cut glass ones are equally as beautiful on a display shelf as objets d'art.