Originally Posted By: mdrew
Chess,

With my older vintage reds (a very nice ’91 Columbia Crest Cab I had last week for example), I use the decanter as well, but its primary purpose is to filter out the sediment. Plus, it just adds to the ambiance of drinking a damn fine bottle of wine…..

I don't disagree with that at all.
Decanting helps to keep some of the sediment in the primary bottle and it presents more nicely at a table IMO.

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With “younger” wines, I am referring to some of 03 cabs I have now (and younger) that I’ve lost patience cellaring and just want to drink. I also grab the decanter for any Petit Syrah’s or Zins. I don’t worry too much about Merlot, Pinot, Syrah, Shiraz or Malbecs. I never use it for whites….

Well now this is a perfect example as to why i want to test this blind tasting after aeration.
Why not a merlot, shiraz or malbec, but yes for cabs?
These are some of the widely reported variations i hear but have seen less proof than what exists for audio myths.
A fellow wine connoiseur in town is huge on aerating all his reds and has started to believe it helps the whites.
From the quote above, you are of a different opinion.
I want to test the starting basis, "can a change be detected"?
After that, any further statements about preferences for aeration and non-aeration would be up to the individual.

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I’m just throwing a WAG out there, but I would say that when using the decanter, it adds no less than two years of cellar time to a bottle. It opens up, brings out the nose and finish and mellows the tannins a bit.
And others say that it adds one year, or 10 years.
I want to test the basic truth before throwing out guesses.
I can honestly say that i'm going into this test with a bias since i do believe wines taste different after they have been open for a day or more sitting on the counter, with somewhat less material inside than when it was opened (e.g. at least one glass poured out).
I've always wondered if the loss of alcohol through evaporation was a major contributor.
The local grand sommelier stated that the little vacuum pumps help but only compressed N gas in little canisters before re-stoppering a bottle would be useful in delaying the reactions. He obviously believes that oxygen is the sole contributor to change, however environmental chemistry is far more complex than that.

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As far as time in the decanter, I suggest one hour or however long it takes for the juice to reach room temperature. Don’t be bashful with swirling it in the decanter while waiting either. My decanter came with a filter that has several small holes in the bottom that spread the flow of wine out to the sides of the decanter. It works very well but I also swirl it a few times.

For the test i will have to come up with a relatively common method for decanting aeration and set a reasonable time.
I'm thinking, soft pour down the side (typical for people to do to decrease the amount of sediment transfer) followed by a 30 minute to 2 hour sitting time. I'm thinking 30 minutes since most restaurants use a smaller figure so you can get around to dinner, but i'm also thinking 1 to 2 hours to be sure there is enough reasonable time for reactions to take place AND i know many people at home subscribe to the 1 hour minimum as a rule of thumb, sometimes longer.

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So give it a try and post back if you think this is all bogus or if you can tell a difference. I’m quite sure you will notice a difference if you go into this with an un-biased attitude.

Like i said, i'm already biased towards tasting a change, i'm just not sure after how much, how long and using what aeration method.
Still need ideas for a good wine that is considered as a definite candidate for change for the tasting.

"Those who preach the myths of audio are ignorant of truth."