Decanting

[Deputy]

I know this seems silly...and I see it all the time and I almost feel stupid asking it, but hey, if you don't ask, you won't know.

How do you know if a wine is "closed"?

What *exactly* does it mean for a wine to be closed?

The Epicurious wine dictionary says:

closed; closed-in
Descriptor for wine that doesn't show its full potential, most likely due to its youth. AGING will usually open up such a wine as it develops CHARACTER and intensity.

But how do I know what a wine's full potential is?