Pouring Wine from a Decanter: Let's Get to the Bottom of This

It's Friday, so let's talk about something besides Autodesk Technology.

I am a wine drinker and, based on the type of wine, sometimes use a decanter. I have even blogged about using metal beads to clean my decanter. I am friends with Deborah Rocha. Deborah and I are board members for the Boys and Girls Club of Alameda. We are also Facebook friends. Imagine my surprise to see one of her Facebook posts from a Winemaker's Dinner.

image source: Deborah Rocha Facebook wall

Here's the source of my amazement:

I am quite certain that wine is poured into a decanter using its wide-mouthed end; however, I believe that wine is also served from its wide-mouthed end. The small end is only there to allow air to flow through the vessel during the breathing process.

In support of my belief, see:

image source: williammilne.com

So how say yee? From which end does one pour?

Here is my decanter made by Riedel, called The Black Tie:

Let me demonstrate why I believe pouring wine from my decanter's small end is impossible:

You can see how only a contortionist could serve wine from my decanter using the small end. They say everything's big in Texas, and I think that includes the pouring end of a decanter too. I used water for my test and still feared that the water would spill from the wide-mouthed end as I wrangled the decanter to pour from the small end. Now imagine my anxiety if I had that same concern with expensive wine. A decanter is not supposed to be a silly straw.

Also, note the shape of the wide-mouthed end. It comes to a point, perfect for pouring. It's very much like a tea pitcher. If the wide-mouthed end was only for emptying the wine bottle into the decanter, the shape would only need to be round. As it is more difficult to blow glass into the shape it has, Riedel must have done that for a reason — serving from that end.

Are there any wine experts out there? What is the correct way to serve wine from a decanter with a shape like the one I have?

Please let me know by commenting or email [email protected]. I'll share the results in a follow-up blog post.

Questioning the act of pouring is alive in the lab.