A question for you wine aficionados out there...

[zitsky]

I’ve always been skeptical of decanting.  You need to do a blind test with two bottles.  Same with wine glasses.  Do they really make a difference?

[DCPIV]

24 minutes ago, zitsky said:

I’ve always been skeptical of decanting.  You need to do a blind test with two bottles.  Same with wine glasses.  Do they really make a difference?

 

Yes, they do.

[zitsky]

1 hour ago, DCPIV said:

 

Yes, they do.

Do you care to say more?  I’ve only decanted for sediment, not flavor.

[mahdnc]

4 minutes ago, zitsky said:

Do you care to say more?  I’ve only decanted for sediment, not flavor.

 

Decanting accelerates the breathing process of a red wine which is often attributed to improving its taste and aroma.

[southernbreezes]

19 hours ago, mahdnc said:

Most, if not all, of the wines that Celebrity carries on their ships do not require decanting.  I have yet to observe a sommelier performing it (for the limited number of cruises that I have taken).

Of course not it takes too long, when most people see it done on a ship our restaurant it is for show. A young red would take at least an hour correctly do. Who wants to wait that long during dinner?

Swirling your wine in the glass is an effective and easy way to accelerate the oxidation process.

Edited March 13, 2023 by southernbreezes

[DCPIV]

10 minutes ago, southernbreezes said:

A young red would take at least an hour correctly do. Who wants to wait that long during dinner?

 

We've done it when we know what we want and could tell the sommellier the night before (or maybe at lunch), but I agree that it's more extravagance than anything else.  A bit of fun, though.  At home, we just use a Vinturi aerator, and that works mighty well.

 

40 minutes ago, zitsky said:

Do you care to say more?  I’ve only decanted for sediment, not flavor.

 

It's hard to say how the glasses work without going into a good deal of detail, and this thread already has gone very far off the rails.  There's plenty of information about it all over the internet.  We've also played around at home, and the differences can be dramatic.

[zitsky]

2 minutes ago, DCPIV said:

It's hard to say how the glasses work without going into a good deal of detail, and this thread already has gone very far off the rails.  There's plenty of information about it all over the internet.  We've also played around at home, and the differences can be dramatic.

 

Sorry!  I didn't think it was off the rails in a wine thread.  I'll use the internet for answers.

[CapeCodCruiser]

I use an aerator at home for my everyday wines...decant for special occasion wines.  In a restaurant select your wine upon arrival and have it decanted.  Enjoy a cocktail or two...then order dinner...your wine will have aerated gor a good 45 minutes to an hour.  Makes all the difference in the world.  Try a test at home...taste immediately,  then every 10 minutes or so, make notes, you will see a difference.

[Rina155]

21 hours ago, mahdnc said:

Most, if not all, of the wines that Celebrity carries on their ships do not require decanting.  I have yet to observe a sommelier performing it (for the limited number of cruises that I have taken).

I had to ask to have one of the bottles I brought to be decanted prior to dinner one evening.

[ldubs]

On 3/12/2023 at 11:28 AM, DCPIV said:

Decanting also often is done through a filter to catch sediment. 

 

Without getting into a bunch of deeper chemistry, the sediment typically is the crystalline form of a tartaric acid salt. You'll find the same stuff on your grocery store shelf sold as "cream of tartar."

 

Put a worm in the bottle - problem solved!  

[Pennstatedj]

I have seen decanting done in Murano and at a chefs table on X.

 

[zitsky]

I learned about decanting from Carson the butler on Downton Abbey.

[garyl62]

On 3/12/2023 at 4:57 PM, mahdnc said:

Most, if not all, of the wines that Celebrity carries on their ships do not require decanting.  I have yet to observe a sommelier performing it (for the limited number of cruises that I have taken).

We had some wine decanted for us onboard.  Granted it was wine we brought with us in 2019 and was a 1994 Opus One.  As soon as I discussed with the Sommelier our plan to have it for dinner one night he immediately said to bring it to him a little before dinner and he would decant it for us.  While they don't usually need to decant anything, they do have the decanter available and are ready to do it should the wine benefit from the process.

[dlh015]

Folks, my (wine) cup runneth over. Thanks again to everyone for their input. 

 

Little did I know!

[drakes2]

6 hours ago, zitsky said:

 

Sorry!  I didn't think it was off the rails in a wine thread.  I'll use the internet for answers.

I didn't think so either; it was the title that peaked my interest. I always decant wines at home if I have guests over for dinner as it looks nice on the table and enhances the overall meal experience.  I have a beautiful Reidel decanter so why not? 

[mahdnc]

3 minutes ago, drakes2 said:

I didn't think so either; it was the title that peaked my interest. I always decant wines at home if I have guests over for dinner as it looks nice on the table and enhances the overall meal experience.  I have a beautiful Reidel decanter so why not? 

 

Very nice!  Someone gave my wife and I a nice Waterford crystal decanter as a wedding present.  It really is beautiful, but the cut glass prevents you from clearly looking at the wine.  Form over function. 

[drakes2]

On 3/13/2023 at 8:18 PM, mahdnc said:

 

Very nice!  Someone gave my wife and I a nice Waterford crystal decanter as a wedding present.  It really is beautiful, but the cut glass prevents you from clearly looking at the wine.  Form over function. 

Use it for a nice dinner party or for yourself. Enjoy it. 

[DCPIV]

On 3/13/2023 at 7:18 PM, mahdnc said:

 

Very nice!  Someone gave my wife and I a nice Waterford crystal decanter as a wedding present.  It really is beautiful, but the cut glass prevents you from clearly looking at the wine.  Form over function. 

 

Sounds perfect for whisky. 

[LaCal]

What’s the Best Champagne you can order if you have the Premium drink pkg……The ship i’ll me on is the Solstice 

 

Thanks 🍹😜

[RichYak]

3 minutes ago, LaCal said:

What’s the Best Champagne you can order if you have the Premium drink pkg……The ship i’ll me on is the Solstice 

 

Thanks 🍹😜

You can order any glass of champagne they have available. The premium package will give you a $17 discount. Enjoy!

[zitsky]

3 hours ago, LaCal said:

What’s the Best Champagne you can order if you have the Premium drink pkg……The ship i’ll me on is the Solstice 

 

Thanks 🍹😜

Think the list is rather limited by the glass.  If I can find a list, I’ll post it.

[markeb]

49 minutes ago, zitsky said:

Think the list is rather limited by the glass.  If I can find a list, I’ll post it.

 

Just looking at the app (which is organized by venue, not by type of wine), it looks like Cattier is the highest end by the glass champagne available. 

 

There's their co-branded Celebrity Vintages (which is from Loire not Champagne) and Chandon from California. And I think I saw a prosecco. And an Italian Brut rose that's apparently also a prosecco. 

[mitz18]

On 3/13/2023 at 5:50 PM, garyl62 said:

We had some wine decanted for us onboard.  Granted it was wine we brought with us in 2019 and was a 1994 Opus One.  As soon as I discussed with the Sommelier our plan to have it for dinner one night he immediately said to bring it to him a little before dinner and he would decant it for us.  While they don't usually need to decant anything, they do have the decanter available and are ready to do it should the wine benefit from the process.

I had an old bottle that I wanted to open but it had been lying down for years.  One week before opening, I started changing the angle of the bottle, slowing moving it to the upright position.  This way the sediment slowly moved down the bottle and was not "mixed" into the wine.  Then decanted the bottle using a flashlite looking thru the neck so I could see when the sediment was about to come out.  Left a little wine in the bottle where the sediment was.  Lot of work but was worth it......

[mahdnc]

7 minutes ago, mitz18 said:

I had an old bottle that I wanted to open but it had been lying down for years.  One week before opening, I started changing the angle of the bottle, slowing moving it to the upright position.  This way the sediment slowly moved down the bottle and was not "mixed" into the wine.  Then decanted the bottle using a flashlite looking thru the neck so I could see when the sediment was about to come out.  Left a little wine in the bottle where the sediment was.  Lot of work but was worth it......

 

The classic method of decanting involves using a candle as the source of illumination (supposedly it provides just the right brightness).  There is no way I would use a candle because I would end up burning my hand or setting the house (or cruise ship) on fire.

[DCPIV]

2 hours ago, mitz18 said:

I had an old bottle that I wanted to open but it had been lying down for years.  One week before opening, I started changing the angle of the bottle, slowing moving it to the upright position.  This way the sediment slowly moved down the bottle and was not "mixed" into the wine.  Then decanted the bottle using a flashlite looking thru the neck so I could see when the sediment was about to come out.  Left a little wine in the bottle where the sediment was.  Lot of work but was worth it......

 

I use a filter funnel to catch sediment.  If nothing else, cheesecloth still is often used (as it has been for centuries) and is quite acceptable.