When serving the great wines of Bordeaux it is necessary to decant them first.

Decanting benefits wines of all ages. It separates the clear wine from the sediment and aerates the wine, allowing it to breathe, thereby creating a slight oxidation. The following instructions will help you master the decanting process.

Before decanting, leave the bottle standing in an upright position for at least a day for young wines. For wines of fifteen or more years old one should let them stand for eight days.

For very old wines (more than forty years old) it is important not to decant just after moving the bottle.

With these older bottles, the deposit is generally extremely fine and takes much longer to settle. It is therefore advisable to lay the bottle down for at least one month before standing it up for the eight-day period. Handle it very gently at all times.

For decanting a carafe or another bottle is used. To simplify the task, a funnel with a filter made of cheesecloth that will eventually catch the bits of cork may also be handy.

Do not use a coffee filter, as it would give a taste of paper to your wine. You can decant without a funnel once you have the knack.