Aeration decanting

Aeration decanting means pouring a wine into a wide-shouldered carafe to expose it to air and speed up its aromatic opening. Used mainly for young, tannic reds, it softens tannins and releases primary aromas within minutes. The flared carafe maximises the surface in contact with oxygen. The gesture differs from sediment decanting, which aims to separate the wine from its deposit without necessarily aerating it heavily.