Decanting wine is a ubiquitous concept that often surfaces in discussions about wine amongst connoisseurs and enthusiasts. Despite its prevalence in these circles, the majority of wine drinkers do not regularly decant their wines. The reasons for this vary; some may find it unnecessary or time-consuming, while others simply lack knowledge about the process and its benefits. This article aims to demystify the art of decanting and provide clear guidelines on when and how to properly decant different types of wines.

Decanting is essentially the act of pouring wine from its bottle into a separate vessel called a decanter. This process serves two main purposes: separating sediment from older bottles of wine and aerating younger wines to enhance their flavors by exposing them to oxygen.

**Decanting Red Wine**

Red wines are typically more robust than whites or champagnes, with tannins that can benefit significantly from exposure to air. Decanting reds allows these tannins to soften and mellow out, resulting in a smoother taste profile.

The rules for decanting reds depend largely on age:

1. **Young Reds**: These can be quite harsh due to high levels of tannin. Decant young reds (less than 8 years old) at least one hour before serving.

2. **Mature Reds**: Older vintages often have delicate flavors that might dissipate if exposed too long. It&#39;s best practice only to give matured reds (over 8 years old) around 30 minutes in the decanter before drinking.

However, remember that every bottle is unique - there are no hard-and-fast rules here!

**Decanting White Wine**

While less common than with reds, certain white wines also benefit from being decanted - especially those with complex flavor profiles like Chardonnay or Viognier which need some breathing room for optimal expression.

As white wine tends not contain as much tannin as red wine does, they usually don&#39;t require extended periods in a decanter:

1. **Young Whites**: Decant for about 30 minutes before serving.

2. **Mature Whites**: These can be served almost immediately after decanting.

**Decanting Champagne**

The idea of decanting champagne might seem counterintuitive, as it&#39;s typically associated with preserving the bubbles. However, high-quality vintage champagnes can benefit from a brief period in a decanter to open up their complex flavors:

1. **Non-Vintage Champagnes**: Serve these directly from the bottle to maintain effervescence.

2. **Vintage Champagnes**: Decant for no more than 10-15 minutes before serving.

As with all wines, individual taste preferences should guide your decision on whether or not to decant - if you prefer your wine fresher and fruitier, consider shortening the recommended times above; conversely, if you enjoy mellower flavors and softer tannins, feel free to extend them.

While most people don&#39;t usually decant wines due to various reasons ranging from lack of knowledge or perceived complexity of the process; understanding when and how to properly do so can significantly enhance one&rsquo;s wine drinking experience by unlocking full flavor potential of different types of wines &ndash; reds, whites or even champagnes! So next time you uncork that special bottle remember: To Decant or Not To Decant? That is indeed an important question!

Decanting wine is a ubiquitous concept that often surfaces in discussions about wine amongst connoisseurs and enthusiasts. Despite its prevalence in these circles, the majority of wine drinkers do not regularly decant their wines. The reasons for this vary; some may find it unnecessary or time-consuming, while others simply lack knowledge about the process and its benefits. This article aims to demystify the art of decanting and provide clear guidelines on when and how to properly decant different types of wines.

The Art and Science of Decanting Red/White Wine and Champagne: Rules and Recommendations

Wines from grapes grown in higher altitude areas with cooler climate has become quite the trend recently. This specific growing environment gives intense flavor but elegance and freshness to the final wines. To highlight and champion these conditions more and more winemakers are starting to use alto as a marketing and labelling term to show their grapes were grown in high altitude vineyards.

Decoding the wine label: Alto

Brut is a word often seen on labels for different kinds of sparkling wine. As you may have discovered when drinking these wines, it indicates that the wine is dry, meaning there is no perceived sweetness in the wine. But how about Extra Brut or Dry, what do they mean and are they the same as Brut?

Decoding the wine label: Brut

Semi-sweet Riesling, a type of wine falling out of style. It’s a shame, since these wines are perfect to pair with flavorful cuisines like Asian or Mexican, or simply drink as they come under the summer sun. The higher level of sugar left in the wine also means that the alcoholic fermentation was stopped before finishing, providing a wine with lower alcohol level and therefor easier grabbing a second glass of.

Decoding the wine label: Spätlese

Have you ever heard the word Xinomavro? Most have not. It is however a word on many sommeliers’ lips today, as it happens to be considered the grape variety with the highest quality in Greece, and one that is trending at the moment. The fact that Greece have been making wine for a long time comes as no surprise, but they have never exported an amount to make sure wine lovers around the globe tried it. With the growing wine tourism many have discovered these wines and are serving them in wine bars and restaurants in many countries today.

Decoding the wine label: Xinomavro

Chianti Classico, Valpolicella Classico, Soave Classico… Why do all these Italian wine regions have the Classico addendum and what does it mean? What is the difference for wines labeled as Classico?

Classico is a wine term in Italy seen on a few wine labels and it indicates that the wine’s from the historic center of the region, the heart. Using Chianti and Chianti Classico and their Sangiovese-based red wines as an example, Chianti is a rather large wine district within the Tuscany region. Chianti Classico is located withing Chianti as the central part and the one that originally existed. Back then this smaller region was actually called Chianti, but as the region grew the quality of the wine plummeted and the well-known characteristics of these red wines were watered down. The reputation took a hit and sales diminished. Eventually this led to the creation of Chianti Classico, which would be drawn from the original Chianti borders to recover the typicity of these wines. Today the quality of both Chianti and Chianti Classico have risen a lot due to modern techniques and knowledge about pruning, planting and temperature control in the winery.

Decoding the wine label: Classico

In the rarefied world of fine wine, where bottles can command prices equivalent to luxury cars, authenticity is everything. Laurent Ponsot's gripping memoir "FBI: Fake Bottle Investigation" reads more like a high-stakes thriller than a traditional wine book, chronicling his relentless pursuit of one of the wine world's most infamous counterfeiters, Rudy Kurniawan.

From Burgundy's Vineyards to the FBI's Most Wanted: A Winemaker's Quest for Justice

Chablis – one of the more popular styles of wine today and a region known by many. Most are familiar with the word Chablis and the light, fresh white wine with a touch of minerality it brings. Even though it’s a renowned wine, few knows what it really is.

Decoding the wine label: Chablis

Many grape varieties around the world of wine have names local to the region or country they’re grown in, even though they’re exactly the same. The most famous example would be Syrah in France where the same grape is named Shiraz in Australia. Another variety with two names is Pinot Grigio, or Pinot Gris.

Decoding the wine label: Pinot Grigio

Have you ever seen the term sur lie on a wine label? It’s not a grape and not a wine region, but a winemaking method used to give certain styles of white wine a rounder texture and a more complex flavor profile.

Decoding the wine label: Sur lie

LAVO Italian Restaurant

Camila Alvarez

Lavo

Lavo

RT: Hello and Welcome to CorkRules!&nbsp;

A podcast where we review a Wine List from your favorite restaurants. I&rsquo;m your host Robert Tas along with Camila Alvarez, wine sommelier and consultant.

Bonjour Camila,&nbsp;it&rsquo;s great to have you join our CorkRules Family from Paris!

CA: Hello Robert!

RT: Before we jump in, let&rsquo;s talk about CorkRules.

We created CorkRules to demystify wine list&rsquo;s because we know from experience, that sometimes wine lists can be intimidating, and even a little daunting.

Our aim is to help prepare you to navigate that list, find those hidden gems, value wines or that special bottle that will take your dining experience over the top.

RT:&nbsp;So, sit back and listen as we review your favorite wine list.

RT: Today we are talking about LAVO New York a restaurant and hopping nightclub with an amazing vibe and scene. Energy is high but so are the food and wine. &nbsp;

Camila&nbsp;I can&rsquo;t wait to hear what do you think of their extensive wine list?

CA: What a beautiful wine list from the sommelier selection to the very amazing sparkling and champagne selection. This wine list is just well developed, with good brands and vintages wines. Ideal place to try wines from every country and different styles.

RT: That&rsquo;s really great, as you looked the list did you see anything jump out at you?

This wine menu has a particularity different from the other menus, it offers the possibility to taste different types of sparkling wines. That&#39;s why I would start with a sparkling wine from Italy.

First option to taste is &lsquo;the Franciacorta&rsquo; from Ca&rsquo; del Bosco in Lombardia. This sparkling wine made by &ldquo;classic method&rdquo;; it is a very similar method to the champagne traditional method. The bubbles are elegant, with freshness. This is called &ldquo;the champagne from Italy&rdquo;, and Ca&rsquo; del Bosco is one of the first wineries doing the Franciacorta.

RT: Ooohh those sound great.

So, Camila, their list seems to have lots of ways we could go but was there anything that you would say is a &ldquo;must-try&rdquo;?

CA: This wine list gives us the possibility to taste wines from regions that are not so common to taste like Wachau region in Austria.

The most famous Austrian grape variety is the Gruner veltliner.

My suggestions is to try the Gruner veltliner from Nikolaihof Hefeabzug 2015 from the Wachau area.

Magnifique acidity with notes of citrus, white pepper and some watermelon aromas.

RT: Thanks for the primer

CA: Amazing country to try and the region also because it is not easy to find it.

So, this list has so many great choices, what other wines would you suggest for our second or third course?

CA: &nbsp;HARLAN State 2012 and from Lebanon Ch&acirc;teau Musar 1999.

Harlan state is an icon from Napa Valley, it is a bordelaise style, full bodied with some notes of cherry, ripen fruits, elegance and body. It is a good wine for aging.

On the other side, I choose another full-body red wine but from Lebanon, Chateau Musar is one of the most famous wineries and produces excellent wines. Ch&acirc;teau Musar 1999 is a full-body wine made by cabernet sauvignon, cinsault and Carignan; the aromas are still there baked fruit and little bit spicy aromas.

Good pairing for these wines: mature cheese, stakes. Also &ldquo;from the grill&rdquo; are great pairing with these wines.

RT: Ooh, Terrific.

Camila, speaking of price, sometimes people have a budget in mind..&nbsp; any other great value wines you&rsquo;d point us too?&nbsp;

&nbsp;

CA: Some great value wines like the ros&eacute; French wines grenache from the south of France is one of my favorite grape varieties. Easy to pair with tapas, for example, the Ch&acirc;teau Minuty &ldquo;M&rdquo; 2020, salmon colour with aromas of red fruits, and delicate freshness.

RT: Now Camila, what if I have a big client dinner or special occasion where I want to take it up a notch?

CA: For an old world wine perspective Ermitage &ldquo;Le Pavillon&rdquo; 2013 from Chapoutier, syrah at its best.

Licorice, prune and plum. This wine is good for aging, full body with rich aromas from tabac due to the aging in oak during 18 to 30 months and still the licorice there.

This wine is made in biodynamic, what does it means that they respect the soil, the vine and the lunar calendar as in the past. A full respect for the terroir and one of the most famous producers in C&ocirc;te du Rh&ocirc;ne.

RT: Oh that&rsquo;s great!

CA: Amazing wine to try the classic syrah.

RT: Cabs are always a good call for me, especially with meats/steaks. &nbsp;

CA: I 100 percent agree

RT: Camila Thank you so much for all your great suggestions and helping us navigate Lavo New York Wine List. I can&rsquo;t wait to go back and try your great suggestions.&nbsp; &nbsp;

To our audience, thank you all for joining us here on CorkRules.

If you would like us to review one of your favorite restaurants, please send us email to: <a href="mailto:Info@corkrules.Com">Info@corkrules.com</a> or visit our web website where we have a request form available and we will do our best to get it in the queue as quickly as possible.

We are looking forward to being with you on another CorkRules episode soon. In the meantime, please check out our website for other episodes of your favorite restaurant wine lists.&nbsp;

And finally, drink what you love and please make sure you drink responsibly.

Thank you.

&nbsp;

BRAT

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Matteo's

Peju is a family-owned winery located in the heart of Napa Valley. We are committed to producing high-quality, handcrafted wines that reflect the unique character of our vineyards. Our winemaking philosophy is based on a deep respect for the land and a dedication to sustainable farming practices.

Styled as an English aristocrats’ club, hotel bar serves light fare & an extensive cocktail list.

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Cowboy Star

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CorkRules application allows you to discover wines at your favorite restaurants, learn with friends and be confident with price transparency. Order wine with confidence at restaurants and retailers. Get personalized recommendations. #DrinkWhatYouLove

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