Downing Family 2001 Fly By Night

[californiagirl]

Great Zin. 14.8% alc. Needed decanting to bring the fruit out. Judy described first smell at fatty bacon. After decanting, smelled of black rasberry. Tasted of white pepper small amount of orange zest. Very enjoyable.

[fieldsodream]

I am new - what is decanting?

[californiagirl]

Go to www.wineenthusiast.com. You.ll find decanters there.

Basically, wine is decanted when it either has aged, or has alot of tannins. Young wines, like zinfandel and cabernet sauvignon have more tannins, and by decanting them, they "open" up. The decanter gives the wine more area to come in contact with oxygen, which allows the wine to breathe or evolve. The tannins tend to soften and become more smooth, and allow the other qualities of the wine to come forward.

[winoweenie]

Hi Fields and a belated welcome to the board. Another, and probably the most dominate reason for decanting, is as a wine ages it tends to throw sediment.(Pieces of grape skins, seeds, and stems that are left in the wine to add flavor, tannins, and structure.) If these are not separated by the decanting process they tend to be detrimental to the taste of the wine and leasve a bitter element that will be offensive. That's why when pulling an older wine from the cellar you stand it upright overnite to let these little suckers settle on the bottom. WW

[Thomas]

however, it is not always a sure bet to decant an older wine, especially a real old one, since it is exposed to a lot of oxygen during decating and that could bring an already aged wine to its final resting place within minutes.

When decanting older wines you need to know the product.

[winoweenie]

Don't think there are too meeny 49 Cheval Blancs in our members cellars. FWIW I never decant an older bottle. I carefully pour the botlle in the glasses, and let it ait there. WW