How to Double Decant a Wine

Blog Post

Whether you’ve recently purchased a bottle of Ridge Monte Bello, or you have another bottle of Bordeaux-style wine that you’re looking to open, it’s a good idea to understand how to double decant the wine prior to tasting.

What is Double Decanting?

Double decanting is the process of decanting (or gradually pouring) a wine twice: once into a decanter, and then back into the clean bottle. Double decanting allows the wine to open up and helps restrict the amount of sediment in your glass.

When Should You Double Decant Wine?

Note that double decanting is not for every wine. White wines, sparkling wines, and light reds are typically not suited for decanting. However, full-bodied reds like Bordeaux-style wines can be opened up through the double decant process. There are some situations when double decanting wine is beneficial. These reasons include:

• Needing to open up a tight, or “closed” wine quickly.
• The wine has a large amount of sediment.
• You need to prepare wine for a large group of people.
• You want to serve your wine in the original bottle, but it still needs to decant.

How to Double Decant Wine

Ready to decant your wine? Just follow the simple steps below:

1. Open the wine and pour it into a clean decanter. For older wines and delicate corks, we recommend using a Durand or Ah-So. Learn more about types of wine openers here.
2. Rinse the original wine bottle so that no sediment remains. For bottles in which little to no sediment is present, rinsing the bottle is unnecessary.
3. Decant the wine back into the original bottle. Take care not to pour too quickly.
4. Let sit for an hour before serving. This will help especially “closed” wines to open up.

More Helpful Wine Links:

If you found this resource helpful and you’re looking for additional wine resources, consider the links below:

• How to Store Wine at Home Correctly
• How to Host a Wine Tasting Experience from Home