Decanting

Decanting means pouring wine from the bottle into a carafe. It serves two purposes: with older wines the sediment, called depot, stays behind in the bottle. With young, powerful wines the oxygen contact lets aromas open up and makes tannins feel softer.

Older, delicate wines are poured only shortly before serving because too much air can quickly make them lose fragrance. The practice is uncommon for sparkling wines. Whether and how long to decant depends on wine style and age and is partly a matter of taste.