After I threw this question out, on impulse, I did some research.
To decant, or not to decant...that is the question.
The idea, I guess, is to let heavier wines "breath" for awhile before drinking, to release some of the aromas. Lighter wines suffer from decanting. Mostly, it seems, it's for aesthetic reasons, and presentation.
What's
always confused me is that a wine bottle lying on its side, is going to have the sediment in the neck of the bottle, next to the cork. So decanting is going to fix this, how? Duh... Stand the bottle upright for 24-48 hours before serving, so the sediment settles to the bottom of the bottle.
Of all the techniques I just read about, rather than decanting over a candle to spot the sediment in a heavy wine, I like the idea of decanting through a coffee filter!
The main reason I like that is who wants to pitch the last couple ounces of a really
good wine?