air exposure to wine

[Vaughn]

my sister-in-law brought me a bottle of Electric Reindeer Merlot as a host gift at our Christmas party this year. I finally cracked it open two days ago. My wife and I bothagreed, it was not that great.

Very weak in aroma and flavor. It didn't have that spicy after-bite that I so love about Merlot. It was not bad, just abit disappointing. We both had one glass, loosely capped the remainder and left it on the counter.


However, last night, I opened it again and poured myself some more. I didn't want to see it go to waste. This time the flavor was very different.

It was much fuller and more flavorful. I've had this experience with my homemade wine, but I assumed it was just the release of CO2 that made the difference.


The difference,I assume, is air exposure after the wine is opened. Whatever, it is, I find that I enjoy my wine much more after it has been opened for a day than fresh from a newly opened bottle. Am I strange? Or is this a common experience for others?

 

[Greengrocer]

Not sure but I believe this is a common experince, and that is why the big reds are decanted before serving.


Am I wrong ?

 

[Curt]

Accepted practice with the reds is touncork them an hour or so before you are going to serve them. This lets them have some exposure to the air and allows the wine to "open up". Alternatively you can decant them a half hour prior to serving for the same purpose. Ain't that nifty? I just need to quit getting that foil stuff stuck in my teeth when I tip the bottle up!

 

[PolishWineP]

Curt,


I don't think that's quite the right way to decant a wine!

Doesn't the foil hurt your teeth?

 

[PolishWineP]

I couldn't stand it and had to Google it. I mean really, who would name a wine Electric Reindeer? Did Austin Powers drink that stuff?


Glad you found a way to improve it!

 

[masta]

my sister-in-law brought me a bottle of Electric Reindeer Merlot as a host gift at our Christmas party this year. I finally cracked it open two days ago. My wife and I bothagreed, it was not that great.

Very weak in aroma and flavor. It didn't have that spicy after-bite that I so love about Merlot. It was not bad, just abit disappointing. We both had one glass, loosely capped the remainder and left it on the counter.


However, last night, I opened it again and poured myself some more. I didn't want to see it go to waste. This time the flavor was very different.

It was much fuller and more flavorful. I've had this experience with my homemade wine, but I assumed it was just the release of CO2 that made the difference.


The difference,I assume, is air exposure after the wine is opened. Whatever, it is, I find that I enjoy my wine much more after it has been opened for a day than fresh from a newly opened bottle. Am I strange? Or is this a common experience for others?

I have found the same thing and that is why I purchased 4 decanters that will be used for the 4th annual Valley Brew tasting party this fall.


I almost always use my vacuvin on an open bottle and found the wine is usually better the next day.

 

[MedPretzel]

I purchased 4 decanters that will be used for the 4th annual Valley Brew tasting party this fall.

Party at Masta's!!!!

 

[masta]

Hope to have live entertainment this year also....

 

[earl]

I opened a bottle of Lindeman's Pinot Noir at Thanksgiving. I poured a glass and took a sip. It tasted like dirt, no fruit at all. About 1 hour later I tried it again and the fruit just exploded. It was reallygood.


I've heard that limited contact with O2 is what "opens" the wine. Of course too much makes vinegar. I typically open a wine one day and finish it the next and some, but not all, are better on the next day. Especially if it has a lot of tannins in it.


earl

 

[PolishWineP]

We bought several bottles of Lindeman's and no matter what we did to them we thought they tasted like dirt, too. We had a bottle in the fridge for the longest time because no one would finish it! Adding air didn't help, nothing helped that stuff. We still have a bottle in the rack, don't know what to do with it.

 

[NorthernWinos]

We bought several bottles of Lindeman's and no matter what we did to them we thought they tasted like dirt, too.  We had a bottle in the fridge for the longest time because no one would finish it!  Adding air didn't help, nothing helped that stuff.  We still have a bottle in the rack, don't know what to do with it.

Use it for a good meat marinade.

One part red wine [or other]
One part soy sauce
White pepper
Fresh minced garlic
Soak venison steaks [or other] for a few hours or longer. Or, soak strips of meat in it and use in stir fry, or fry meat strips and make a corn starch gravey..serve over rice or noodles.
Enjoy!!!

 

[earl]

We bought several bottles of Lindeman's and no matter what we did to them we thought they tasted like dirt, too. We had a bottle in the fridge for the longest time because no one would finish it! Adding air didn't help, nothing helped that stuff. We still have a bottle in the rack, don't know what to do with it.

Send it to ME!!

earl

 

[PolishWineP]

Earl! You're so helpful!

 

[Vaughn]

Good, I'm not nuts. I'd like to get a decanter or two. I've seen some simple wide mouth decanters in restaurants (often used to give you a few glasses of wine out of their gallon jugs). I would like to have one of these, but I can't find them in stores. I've seen fancy-smancy ones at departments stores, but they are a little pricey. Where do I find the cheep ones?

 

[PolishWineP]

Go buy some with wine in them at the store. They're usually in the jug wine section.

 

[Waldo]

Hope to have live entertainment this year also....

Perhaps Stinkie andI could comedo some standup comedy for ya

 

[NorthernWinos]

Good, I'm not nuts.  I'd like to get a decanter or two.  I've seen some simple wide mouth decanters in restaurants (often used to give you a few glasses of wine out of their gallon jugs).  I would like to have one of these, but I can't find them in stores.  I've seen fancy-smancy ones at departments stores, but they are a little pricey.  Where do I find the cheep ones?


 

Lots of decanters in Thrift Shops, Second Hand Stores, Goodwill, SallyAnn, etc......Have fun shopping!!!

 

[Vaughn]

Thanks for the help! I'm on the hunt.

 

[PolishWineP]

Much better idea!

 

[garyd]

WE bought a decanter at Dillards' for $20.!!