A Port decanter is an important wine accessory if you want to decant your Port wine.
There are tons of books written on the subject since seemingly people are having lots of problem decanting Port wine the right way, even after several attempts.
However it should not be difficult at all.
Maybe it is its ritualistic style bound by tradition that confuses many.
However Port has also been decanted for centuries by many wine connoisseurs successfully, so this tells me that it can be done.
But first of all, why does Port bottles need decanting? If you have it stored in bottles, as opposed to stored in barrels, you need to remove the sediment, also called deposit or crust, when pouring in the glasses.
For example drinking Vintage Port without first aerating is a sacrilege to many.
Some of the Port wines that are maturing in bottles are the Vintage Port that I already mentioned, the Crusted Port and the Unfiltered LBV Port.
These types invariably form the crust that should never be allowed to get into the glasses when drinking.
Of course, there's nothing wrong with having a bit in the glass, but it does deter from the great taste of your drink and makes it less tasty.
One of the traditional ways to decant Port wine is to leave the bottle standing up for a couple of days.
This will push the heavier sediments right to the bottle of the vessel.
The next step is to actually take the cork off the bottle and some people actually end up having bits of cork falling right into the wine.
Now you have also the issue of getting those cork pieces fall to the bottom, which means waiting a bit more again.
Finally you put the decanter on the counter or table, and with a steady hand you pour the wine into it slowly, so no sediments are shaken up from the bottom.
Many people when trying it the first time still end up with a few sediments (or even cork) in their glasses.
There are several reasons for them, the most important being that they try to rush the job.
While the hand needs to be steady, the pouring should go slowly.
You should not shake or move the bottle in the process.
It doesn't take a long time for the process, so there is not enough time for your arm to get tired.
The other popular way is to also use a cheesecloth, a Port funnel and the Port decanter.
Use a food grade cheesecloth that is unbleached.
What you need to do is fold the cheesecloth in two and then fold it again to have 4 layers.
This will avoid the finer and smaller sediments pass through the cloth.
Now take the cheesecloth and put it inside the funnel and then go right away and pour the Port from the bottle right into the funnel, with no reservations.
You don't have to worry about doing it slowly or using a steady hand.
The cheesecloth keeps the residue right into it, like a filtering membrane, without leaving anything through.
There are tons of books written on the subject since seemingly people are having lots of problem decanting Port wine the right way, even after several attempts.
However it should not be difficult at all.
Maybe it is its ritualistic style bound by tradition that confuses many.
However Port has also been decanted for centuries by many wine connoisseurs successfully, so this tells me that it can be done.
But first of all, why does Port bottles need decanting? If you have it stored in bottles, as opposed to stored in barrels, you need to remove the sediment, also called deposit or crust, when pouring in the glasses.
For example drinking Vintage Port without first aerating is a sacrilege to many.
Some of the Port wines that are maturing in bottles are the Vintage Port that I already mentioned, the Crusted Port and the Unfiltered LBV Port.
These types invariably form the crust that should never be allowed to get into the glasses when drinking.
Of course, there's nothing wrong with having a bit in the glass, but it does deter from the great taste of your drink and makes it less tasty.
One of the traditional ways to decant Port wine is to leave the bottle standing up for a couple of days.
This will push the heavier sediments right to the bottle of the vessel.
The next step is to actually take the cork off the bottle and some people actually end up having bits of cork falling right into the wine.
Now you have also the issue of getting those cork pieces fall to the bottom, which means waiting a bit more again.
Finally you put the decanter on the counter or table, and with a steady hand you pour the wine into it slowly, so no sediments are shaken up from the bottom.
Many people when trying it the first time still end up with a few sediments (or even cork) in their glasses.
There are several reasons for them, the most important being that they try to rush the job.
While the hand needs to be steady, the pouring should go slowly.
You should not shake or move the bottle in the process.
It doesn't take a long time for the process, so there is not enough time for your arm to get tired.
The other popular way is to also use a cheesecloth, a Port funnel and the Port decanter.
Use a food grade cheesecloth that is unbleached.
What you need to do is fold the cheesecloth in two and then fold it again to have 4 layers.
This will avoid the finer and smaller sediments pass through the cloth.
Now take the cheesecloth and put it inside the funnel and then go right away and pour the Port from the bottle right into the funnel, with no reservations.
You don't have to worry about doing it slowly or using a steady hand.
The cheesecloth keeps the residue right into it, like a filtering membrane, without leaving anything through.