FOR THE INQUISITIVE OENOPHILE…………

When should we decant a wine?

Exerpts from Jancis Robinson’s online Oxford Companion to Wine

“The most obvious reason for decanting a wine is to separate it from any sediment that has formed in the bottle which not only looks unappetizing in the glass, but usually tastes bitter and/or astringent.

It is rare for inexpensive, everyday table wines to throw a deposit, and most large retailers insist on such heavy filtration that a deposit is unlikely (although not unknown in older, higher-quality reds). To check whether a wine bottle contains any sediment, stand it upright for an hour or more and then carefully hold it up to the light for inspection at the base (although some bottles are too dark for this exercise to be effective).

Another, traditional but disputed, reason for decanting is to promote aeration and therefore encourage the development of the wine’s bouquet

It is certainly wise advice to decant fully mature wines only just before serving, since some are so fragile that they can withstand oxygen for only a few minutes before succumbing to oxidation. And it is also true that the aeration process of an individual glass of wine can be controlled by the person drinking out of it.”

Wines with high tannins, such as a Barolo, are good candidates for decanting as well as unfiltered wines such as vintage port, crushed port and higher quality reds that were not stabilized or unfiltered, such as Lalama.

LALAMA 2007

Blend of  85% Mencia, with Brancellao, Grenacha, and Mouraton.  65% of the wine is aged in French oak barrels and 35% is aged in large neutral foudres – on the lees for 21 months, undergoes malolactic fermentation and bottle aged for a further 6 months.  From the Ribeira Sacra (‘sacred riverbank’) in the Galicia region of NW Spain which is currently exporting only approximately 10% of their total wine production.  The soil is slate and clay based.

Wine Characteristics – Dark ruby coloured with a smooth and velvety palate.  Aromas and flavours of smoke, lavender, black cherry, plum, raspberry with a refreshing acidity.

Unfiltered wine so decanting is recommended (approx. 1 hr) to remove any sediment if present plus the wine gains in intensity and complexity when it opens up.

Food pairing suggestions – Grilled red meats (leg of lamb!), rich bean dishes, small game(duck, goose, pheasant, rabbit)

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