Decanting

[stevebody]

I'd throw in a couple of other suggestions, too, one of which may sound screwy but works well:

1. There is a bottle of inert gas that I sell at Esquin which, for the life of me, I can't recall the name of this minute (maybe WineGuard?). This stuff is heavier than air and covers the surface of the wine effectively, sealing off the oxidation that fades the juice. It feels empty when you get it but actually has about 100 applications inside. It takes a bit of practice to use it but it does what it claims to do - preserve wine...Damn, WinePreserve is the name, I think.

2. Put the tightly sealed and gassed (or even ungassed) decanter in the fridge. Wine, like most other foods, keeps better under refrigeration. Yes, I'm talking Red, here. Not icy cold but general 40-45 degrees fridge temps. Just remember to take it out of the fridge two hours or so before you want to drink it, to let it come gently back to room temp. Under any circumstances, don't take a week to finish the wine. Repeated exposure to air will wilt any wine, no matter what you do. At two smal glasses a night, you'll finish it in three days or so, anyway.

There is a current trend toward decanting inexpensive wines and I second that heartily. Air is wine's best friend, as well as its worst enemy. In the short run, though, it opens up the wine and lets it reveal all its flavors.

Hope these help!