How to Aerate Wine

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Guide Note: Aerating wine, or "letting it breathe," can improve its flavors and make for a much more enjoyable experience. However, not all wines need to—or should—breathe. This page offers a step-by-step guide on How to Aerate Wine.

Table of Contents:

• Introduction
• Why Do It
• When to Do It
• What You'll Need
• How to Do It
• Resources for How to Aerate Wine

Introduction

• The concept of letting your wine "breathe" may seem snobbish, anachronistic or even silly. The truth is, while it's not always necessary, aerating wine is no mere affectation—and there's more to it than simply uncorking the bottle and letting it sit.

Why Do It

• Exposing certain wines to air for a period of time will "open them up," both mellowing and enhancing their flavors and aromas for your greater enjoyment. Exposing wine to the air can improve it in two ways:

• 

  A broad decanter can give the wine maximum contact with the air. (Creative Commons photo by Maciej Lewandowski)

1. Softening tannin.
   • All wines contain some tannin, a chemical substance that makes wine astringent (causing your mouth pucker).
   • As wines age, tannins soften and are balanced by other flavors and a stronger bouquet, while in younger wines—particularly heavy reds—tannins can be harsh, overwhelming the complex flavors of a wine.
   • Exposing wine to air breaks down tannin. While this doesn't lend the complexity that an older wine gains in the bottle, it does soften and smooth out the flavor.

1. Eliminating "bottle stink"
   • Bottle stink is an unsavory stale aroma present when wine is first uncorked.
   • Transferring the wine to a different vessel and giving it contact with air eliminates this odor.

When to Do It

• Not all wines need to breathe, and sometimes it will do more harm than good to the flavors.

• Don't aerate:
  • Light whites, such as Sauvignon Blanc or Chennin Blanc, will usually gain no discernible improvement from aeration.
  • Old wines, about 40 years or older, can be completely oxidized and lose their flavors if exposed to air for too long.
    • An article in The New York Times reports the uncorking of a bottle from 1806. It was drinkable at first, but rapidly deteriorated in the same sitting.

• Do aerate:
  • Most red wines, particularly those high in tannin, like Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel and Syrah, will gain some benefit from being allowed to breathe.
  • Richer and more tannic white wines, including Chardonnay and Gewurstrarminer, can also benefit from aeration.
  • Young wines in the categories above have the most to gain from aeration.

What You'll Need

• The goal of aeration is to maximize the wine's contact with the surrounding air. For this reason, simply popping the cork is insufficient; you'll need to swirl it in a wine glass, or let it sit in a larger vessel.

• Glass: If you're only having a single glass, use a large, traditional stemmed wine glass.

• Vessel: If you plan to share a whole bottle, you'll need a broad vessel to give the wine as much air as possible. An old-fashioned glass decanter is probably the most elegant option, but any of the following will work.
  • Decanter.
  • Pitcher.
  • Coffee carafe.
  • Large bowl.

How to Do It

• Aeration is controversial. Some connoisseurs insist on aerating tannic reds for two hours, others say 20 minutes. The practical approach is to tailor the process to the wine itself, and to test it frequently during aeration. When it tastes good to you, drink it.
• 

  If you're drinking alone, consider aerating in the glass. (Creative Commons photo by Seth Anderson)

• To aerate a single glass, first pour and taste:
  1. If the wine tastes harsh or unpleasing, you can greatly shorten the aerating process by simply swirling it in the glass.
  2. Sip at regular intervals until it's delicious.
  3. Drink up.
• To aerate a whole bottle, pour the wine into a larger vessel and let it sit for the appropriate length of time:
  • Young tannic reds (7 years and under):
    1. Let sit for a half hour before sampling.
    2. After a half hour, have a sip.
    3. Test every ten minutes until the taste smooths out and a complex array of flavors is discernible.
  • Mature tannic reds (8 years and over):
    1. Taste it immediately out of the bottle. If it's pleasing, go ahead and drink.
    2. If it seems to need some air, make sure to test it at close intervals, to make sure the flavors are not deteriorating with exposure.
  • Heavier whites or lighter reds:
    1. Taste it out of the bottle.
    2. If it's harsh or unbalanced, let it sit for 15 to 20 minutes and try again.

Resources for How to Aerate Wine

• About.com: Tips for Letting Your Wine Breathe 
• BetterTastingWine.com: Three quick and easy methods to make your wine taste better 
• Wikipedia: Tannin | Astringent | Decanter
• Epicurious: Wine Dictionary
• BlurtIt: How Long Should You Let A Wine "breathe"?
• New York Times: Wine Talk (October 19, 1988)
• Chowhound: Aerating wine
• Helium: How long should wine breathe before serving?

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