Home › Home & Kitchen › Kitchen & Dining › Dining & Entertaining › Glassware & Drinkware › Decanters & Carafes How to Use a Wine Decanter Published: July 8, 2026 · Updated: July 8, 2026
Pour the wine in and give it time to open up — a young, tannic red wants 30 minutes to a couple of hours, while a delicate older wine needs only a short pour to breathe. For an old red with sediment, pour slowly and stop when the murk reaches the neck, leaving the dregs behind.
Recommended Decant young reds ahead to soften them; pour old reds slowly off their sediment and serve soon — A decanter does two different jobs — aerating young wine and separating an old wine from its sediment — and which you're doing changes how you use it. To aerate, pour the wine in with a splash to expose it to air, and let a young, tannic red sit 30 minutes to two hours (a big Barolo even longer) so the tannins soften and the aromas open; a wide-bottomed decanter speeds this. Whites and light reds rarely need more than a brief pour. Separating sediment is the opposite of leisurely: stand the old bottle upright for a day so the dregs settle, then pour slowly and steadily in one motion — a candle or light under the shoulder lets you see the sediment coming, and you stop the moment it reaches the neck, leaving the last cloudy ounce in the bottle. Serve a decanted old wine soon, since too much air flattens it. Rinse the decanter with hot water only, no soap, and dry it upside down on a stand.
