What is the best kind of decanter to use with a Syrah or Petite Syrah red wine?
Any additional information on decanting red wine such as how long to store etc would be very helpful-thanks!
Tagged with: red wine
Filed under: All Things Wine
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You can use anything to decant wine. But I would choose a glass or crystal container so that you would not pick up any flavors from plastic wood or any other material. Decanting should take place 10 or 15 minutes before service. It is assumed that the wine will be all consumed. WIne takes on some strange flavors if it is over oxidized. After 6 hours in the open air…I dump the left overs…
You should use glass decanters only so that the wine won't get other flavors from the container. You should let the wine stay in the decanter for about 15 min. then serve it
Any crystal or glass decatner will do the trick. We have two kinds in our home - the one with the parge flat base and the one jthat looks more like an old milk container. Both do the trick just fine.
Depending on the qualities of the wine, you can decant anywhere from 15 minutes to 3-4 hours safely.
You don't 'store' red wine in a decanter. Only decant as much as you plan on drinking. You store red wine horizontally in a cool place (not cold, not a fridge) with constant humidity. Most red wines under $40-$50 are meant to be drank right away. More expensive wines, especially those from great vintages, can age indefinately.
Edit: You should only decant sedimented wines? lol. That's a bunch of BS. I decant $15 of wine regularly. You'd be amazed what a little decanting can do for a cheap wine. Decanting isn't done to remove sediment - it's done to oxidize the wine. Oxidization reduces tannins and opens up flavours. A $15 bottle of wine can easily taste as good as a $30 bottle with decanting, sediment or no.
If the wine is not old enough to have thrown a sediment - as most are - you should not decant.
Also, be aware that "Petite Syrah" is not a syrah at all. It is the name Californians gave to a lesser grape called duriff.
Any glass or crystal container will do. Make sure the container is clean. If you need to wash it, rinse with distilled water so you remove any soap or chlorine odors.
Wide based decanters are the best. Decanting a wine will mellow the sharp tannins of a young wine, but sometimes at the expense of some of the earthy flavours. A Syrah / Shiraz can benefit from decanting, so can a Petite Syrah. Once again Syrahs and Shirazs are from the same grapes but a Petite Syrah is from totally different grapes. Commonly thought to be the varietal known as Durif, however this belief has been recently doubted due to DNA testing (not kidding) on wine grapes.
Only store wine for long term if you have to proper climate.