To Decant or not to Decant

[texaxile]

Hi,

How many PH foodies Decant their Wine, Whiskey, Bourbon or Port?.

On the very infrequent occasions we have company, I usually pour direct from the bottle or carton (joke)

I do, however, always decant my Malt or Bourbon into the lead crystal decanter I got at a car bootie for a fiver.

Only occasionally do I stick the vino into a decanter. I've recently been told that I'm doing it arse about face though, that Wine should always be decanted and Whiskey is fine straight from the bottle.

Anyone got any ideas , or am I just a common snob?.

EFA, my punctuation and grammar is bloody abysmal.

[sherman]

I wouldnt bother decanting whisky. Its already filtered unless its unchill filtered in which case its supposed to be that way.

Most cheaper wines and port will be fine straight from the bottle. I would only start filtering port and wine if it was a decent vintage or an expensive/old bottle.

For some reason I wouldnt filter white wine only red. I dont know why though.

[driverrob]

Decanting a decent red wine can help it 'breath' - enabling its full flavour to be enjoyed. If you can see there is a deposit in the bottle decanting is wise but do not attempt to tilt it too quickly or too far. Better to leave a decent amount in the bottle than ruin the whole bottle by mixing in this deposit - a bit like having a split tea bag. However, decanted wine will not 'keep' as long as wine in the bottle.

[RichB]

The last thing I would do is decant a single malt. Far better to leave it in the bottle so you know what it is. I tend to have 4 or 5 on the go at any one time but even if I only had one I would not decant it. Obviously some ports require decanting so that the sediment doesn't get mixed, the same with some reds but not spirits unless you're trying to pass off a bottle Teachers as single malt .