How to decant wine with sediment
Drinking sediment is not harmful, but it is unpleasant, as is a mouthful of grit. To decant, make sure the bottle is upright long enough for the sediment to settle to the bottom. If you don’t have time for that, pour carefully and let any sediment settle in the glass.
And for Young Wines?
For the vast majority, decanting is not necessary. Sometimes I decant a really good wine when I know it’s too young. But the difference will not be obvious. Both ways are fine.
What is hyperdecantation?
On an episode of the HBO drama “Succession,” the character Connor Roy once recommended hyperdecanting, pouring a red Burgundy into a blender to whip it full of air. “You can age your wine for five years in 10 seconds,” he said. It wasn’t a joke. The method was promoted by Nathan Myhrvold in his book “Modernist Cuisine”. Personally, I would never subject wine to such violence. It is a joy to follow its journey as it evolves gently and delicately over time in a glass. It’s folly to believe that you can jump-start aging except in the most marginal of ways. Feel free to beat your wine into submission, but don’t expect a miracle.
Storing and cooling wine
How long is wine good after opening?
It depends on. A traditionally made wine will keep for at least a few days after opening, maybe even longer. You do not need special equipment such as vacuum pumps. Just keep the bottle in a cool place out of direct sunlight or in the refrigerator. A processed wine, constructed and manipulated with technology and additives, will disintegrate much faster. Put in the fridge and hope for the best.
What about sparkling wines?
The same goes for bubbles. When expertly and traditionally made, it can be stored for days without losing energy or fizz. A wine that is poorly or overly manipulated will die. A good sparkling wine stopper is nice to have, but in no time you’ll be closing a bottle with aluminum foil, fitted tightly around the opening. Foil is much better, but more wasteful, than the folk trick of sticking a metal spoon handle down into the opening, which has been discredited.
Can red wines be chilled?
Absolute. Most red wines are served too warm. The old saying that they should be served at room temperature was probably written by someone with a chilly country house. All reds should be at least slightly cool, and reds that are simple thirst quenchers with high acidity can be served colder. In general, red wines that are more tannic or complex should be served cool but not cold. But what’s the worst that can happen if they’re too cold? Let them warm up, or wrap your hands around the bowl of the wine glass to release some heat.
That notch at the bottom of the bottle
Why is it there?
The notch, or punt, is partly a matter of tradition and in some cases a necessity. Back in the days when bottles were made by hand, glassblowers pushed into the bottom of bottles to ensure they would stand up straight, without a clump of glass to unbalance them. The punt lives on as a habit, but it does add strength to the structure of bottles, especially those for sparkling wine, which are under great internal pressure from the carbonization. Not all bottles have punts. The tall, slender bottles traditionally used in Germany and Alsace have a flat bottom.