Decanting is a hot topic, but mostly revolves around red wines. Can white wines or even sparkling wines be decanted?
"Most consumers shy away from decanting white wines," says Cameron Cronin of Homewood Restaurant in Dallas. "But in my experience, it can greatly enhance your drinking experience."
Like red wines, few white wines need to be decanted. However, if a young, complex white wine is a little too closed, or if the temperature is not quite right, a decanter can bring out the best in the bottle.
Sommeliers shared their advice on when it might be appropriate to decant a white or sparkling wine, how to do so without harming the wine and which regions and styles are worth considering.
Why decant white wines?
There are no exact rules for decanting white wines. Everyone has a different preference, although there are a few common situations where someone might want to decant.
"Generally, I decant a white wine for the same reasons you would decant a red wine," says Andrea Morris of Intersect by Lexus - NYC and Wine Enthusiast 40 Under 40.
Many sommeliers decant wines that are excessively reductive, meaning they have been made with limited exposure to oxygen. When a wine is produced or stored without oxygen, it can have a sulfurous aroma, like a dusted match. While some may enjoy these notes, letting the sulfur evaporate will often result in fruit and floral notes.
When white wines are vinified as wines that come in contact with the skin, decanting can improve them for the same reason many red wines do. "Wines that come in contact with the skin benefit from decanting by softening their tannins," says Cronin.
Young wines that don't show their true character right out of the bottle can also benefit from being decanted. "With younger wines that haven't had time to develop, especially wines that seem a bit linear, decanting can give them a more rounded profile," says Gregory Stokes of Veritas Restaurant in Columbus, Ohio. "But wines that are meant to be enjoyed when they are fresh and fruity will not benefit from more oxygen," he says.
Although white wines do not have the kind of sediment typical of red wines, another form of sediment may be present in bottles of unfiltered white wines. Also, wines that are not cold-stabilized often contain tartrates, small crystals that cover the bottom of the cork or float in the bottle. "They are completely harmless, but not particularly pleasant to drink, so I always decant them from the wine," Stokes says.
But there is also a practical reason to decant a white wine: temperature. "By decanting a white wine, you can manipulate the temperature more easily," Morris says. "To warm up an ice-cold wine, pour it into a carafe at room temperature. The exposure to air speeds up the warming process."
How do you decant a white wine?
The good news about decanting white wines is that it is easier than red wines. Because most white wines contain no sediment, it is difficult to spoil a white wine by decanting.
"When I decant a white wine, it's usually to get the wine to open quickly, so I'll decant it fairly quickly and vigorously," Morris says. "I find that smaller decanters work best for white wines, as you don't need a higher surface-to-volume ratio, since the simple act of decanting usually allows the wine to breathe sufficiently." says Cronin. Stokes says smaller decanters fit nicely into an ice bucket for cooling, but their thinner glass can crack more easily.
Although it’s perfectly fine to decant into a decanter of any size,
smaller decanters are generally better for white wines.
Cronin recommends decanting white wines 5 to 15 minutes before serving, as they can lose their freshness and vibrancy if kept for hours after decanting. Although it is rare to "kill" a wine by leaving it too long in a decanter, you should be extra careful with older vintages.
"Older wines often benefit the most from decanting, but they can also be the most fragile," Stokes says. "There is a point at which an older white wine reaches its peak in the glass and then can drop quite quickly."
It is also not recommended to decant oxidative white wines. "If the wine is already showing some signs of oxidation with little freshness, decanting would cause it to go in the wrong direction and become even more oxidized," says Jack Mason of Pappas Bros steakhouse in Houston.
Can sparkling wines be decanted?
Decanting sparkling wines can be more controversial even among professionals than white wines. "I love bubbles, so decanting a sparkling wine doesn't feel intuitive," Morris says. Exposure to oxygen dissipates the effervescence of a sparkling wine.
Decanting, however, has a big effect on older vintages. "The process accelerates the evaporation of carbon dioxide," says Cronin. "The older sparkling wine gets, the more likely it has already lost a discernible amount of gas as well." But the idea is not as crazy as it seems."
"Traditionally, champagne was always decanted," says Stokes. "Before the invention of remuage by the house of Veuve Clicquot in 1816, all champagnes were cloudy with the yeast from the second fermentation in the bottle. So traditionally, you would decant the wine to leave as much yeast in the bottle as possible."
Some sommeliers and winemakers are embracing the idea of decanting champagne. Renowned grower-producer Anselme Selosse recommends decanting his sought-after champagnes. "I usually offer to decant wines that show a high degree of reduction, such as Cédric Bouchard or Ruinart, or to soften the bubbles of a younger tête de cuvée," Mason says.
Champagnes made for long-term aging are often vinified with slightly higher bottle pressure to preserve those bubbles over time, Mason says. "Decanting not only helps give the wine some oxygen, but can also help break up the bubbles, creating a more pleasant drinking experience."
Decanting is also an efficient way to serve champagne bottles of very large size, such as a nine-liter Salmanazar. To decant champagne, carefully pour the wine down the side of the decanter to avoid overflowing.
Decanted white wine styles and regions
Since decanting white wines can help remove unwanted aromas, it may be good to watch out for wines that tend to reduce. Screw caps can be good indicators because they have a low-oxygen environment.
Dry Furmints from Hungary and Austrian Grüner Veltliner and Riesling can be worth decanting. Many white Burgundies are vinified in reducing environments, and increasingly producers from around the world are also making reducing styles of Chardonnay.
"Depending on the producer, I find that a quick decant can help bring out the fruit and minerality," Morris says. White wines from the Northern Rhone and some Trebbianos from Abruzzo may also have characteristics that can benefit from decanting.
Older wines from certain regions are also likely candidates. Scott Turnbull of The Restaurant at Meadowood in Napa Valley, decanted white Rioja and found that it improved the wine. Morris says a decant can help aged German Riesling, which can be a bit funky.
Stokes attributes this to the winemaking practices for these wines. "German winemakers often use heavy doses of sulfur to prevent their sweet wines from re-fermenting in the bottle," he says.
Nea Berglund, winemaker for Château Carsin and Charivari Wines in Bordeaux, says people should also consider a decanter for white Bordeaux. "I often decant older vintages of white Bordeaux, but not the last few years," she says. Berglund says older white Bordeaux wines are more expressive at warmer temperatures. She recommends decanting the wine and letting it warm to room temperature for half an hour before enjoying it.
