Generally speaking, the process of introducing wine from a glass container into a decanter is called sober up, Quite a few people believe that sobering is the process of letting wine "breath".
As a sommelier, decanting is a process used to decant a wine that has settled in an old cup. The cause of the sediment may be the precipitation caused by the storage of wine in a particularly long time, or it may be caused by the manufacturer's failure to filter and clarify the wine during the wine brewing process. This process is also called "bottle changing". In today's age when the winemaking industry is becoming more and more standardized, decanting to remove sediments has become increasingly rare.
Through the full contact between the wine and the air, more floral and natural aromas will be mobilized in the wine body.
The "air contact" theory that is now generally supported is: during the sobering process, we can make the rougher taste in the wine body (mainly tannins and unnecessary mercaptans generated in the wine body) polished smoother and smoother. Suitable for drinking. However, quite a few people believe that sobering is a process of letting wine "breath". Based on this theoretical basis, many sommeliers will slowly shake their wrists after pouring the wine into the decanter to fully agitate the red wine in the vessel so that the molecules of the wine are fully in contact with the air. Some experts like Ms. Katherine McNeil strongly advocate the decanting of Barolo, Bordeaux, Cabernet Sauvignon, Port and Rhone wines with high tannin intensity. She also categorically pointed out that the decanting process will have a negative impact on Chianti, Pinot Noir and Rioja wines.
A more pragmatic point of view is that a few minutes or even hours of sobering will not change the tannins in the body. In most cases, the softening of tannins should be in the winemaking process, and the whole process is also required. A few days or even weeks.
Another writer, Jancis Robinson, advocated the cultural and aesthetic significance of sobering in the process of serving wine, and elevated the process of sobering to the level of performance art. Some experts believe that the shaking of the wine in the glass and the contact area of the glass with the air are more suitable for the process of sobering. We don’t need to pay attention to the fierce debate among experts on this issue. As you who like wine, you only need to have a set of decanter and use it on appropriate occasions to show your host’s hospitality and quasi-expert status for wine. Yes, as for the judgment of whether sobering is beneficial to drinking, it should be measured by your drinking experience.
Generally, the decanting filters produced by famous glassware manufacturing companies that you buy have elegant and luxurious carving craftsmanship and an exquisite cork. Sometimes they will generously give you a glass rod to increase the decanting process. Due to the improvement of glass manufacturing technology, we can also see more beautiful crystal wine filters. Through transparent glass and crystals, you can observe the changes in the body before and after sobering. Of course, professional sommeliers can pass the naked eye come to see these changes.
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