WINE MYTH BUSTED:
UNCORKING A BOTTLE EARLY HELPS
MYTH #3: Uncorking a bottle of wine early makes it drink better.
ASSUMPTION: Allowing a bottle to sit after the cork has been removed helps it breathe and improves the wine before drinking.
ORIGIN:
It is thought that this myth originated when winemakers started using sulfur in their bottles to keep wines from spoiling. But this was not an exact science and a lot of wines were left stinking like sulfur when opened, which is commonly recognized by the smell of rotten eggs or a burnt match. With the wines smelling so rotten letting the bottle sit before drinking allowed the sulfur to dissipate and therefore the initial taste of the wine would improve.
MISCONCEPTION:
Stemming from this early practice a common misconception has evolved suggesting that a newly opened bottle of wine will taste/drink better after it has had time to “breathe”. As a result many people today will order or open a bottle and let it sit for an undetermined period of time, usually until their food is ready, before pouring the wine into their glasses. By removing the cork the wine inside the bottle is allowed to mix and mingle with the air, or “breathe”, which opens up it’s aromas, softens the wine and improves its flavor characteristics. The result is a better more drinkable wine than if it were poured directly after opening.
REALITY
It’s true that exposing a young or “big” wine to air can help soften the tannins, making it more pleasurable to drink. But just uncorking a wine and allowing it to sit before drinking has no actual effect on the taste of the wine. This is due to the miniscule amount of wine that is actually coming in contact with the air.
The narrow space in the neck of a bottle is smaller than a penny and therefore does not offer enough surface area to change or alter an entire bottle of wine prior to drinking. Even over a period of a full day the wine will change very little due to the exposure to air. The wine may change slightly as it has a chance to settle down after being jostled from carrying it around. Or, the drinkers’ pallet may change over time, which can be misperceived as the wine changing, but that’s about it.
Unfortunately the practice of letting a bottle sit open before drinking has become a very common ritual in many restaurants and dining room tables today. But this is nothing more than a misunderstood custom based on ancient practices dating back hundreds of years and perpetuated by those that try to act more knowledgeable (about wine) than they really are.
OUR ADVICE
Typically red wines benefit the most from letting them breathe before serving. However, there are also some whites that may improve with a little air exposure, often those with high alcohol content. As a general rule most wines will improve with as little as 15-20 minutes of air contact outside the bottle. However, if the wine is young (“tight”) or really bold (“big”) with high tannin levels, it will need more time to aerate before enjoying. For example, a young Cabernet Sauvignon may require up to an hour before tannins begin to soften and flavors improve. Not that you can’t just drink it as soon as it is uncorked, but there are definitely benefits to letting such a wine breathe. Older wines (8+ years) are another story all together, where the act of decanting is more to remove sediment than actually aerating the wine.
To truly let a wine breathe you really only have two options, using a decanter or your wineglass. A decanter, or any large liquid container with a wide opening at the top to pour your bottle of wine into, increases the surface area of your wine, which is the key to allowing more air to come in contact with wine. In the absence of a decanter your wineglass is definitely the best alternative, and often the most preferred. This is certainly the low-maintenance method and typically works quite well. Pour the wine into your glass and swirl it around. Both of these actions work to aerate the wine, but don’t feel that you have to sit and swirl the wine all night. Having the wine sit in the glass continues to expose it to air, more so than if it remained in the bottle.
The time it takes to decant a wine is often too long for your short stay in a restaurant, so don’t expect too much from this age-old ritual, and definitely don’t bother with getting that bottle open early. Instead we suggest pouring the wine, swirling it around and enjoying the changes the wine goes through as it begins to open up in the glass. If you have the time for a decanter then definitely try it out. You’ll often be impressed on how much your wine opens up and becomes more enjoyable and easier to drink. In general, the aeration rule of thumb is the more tannins a wine has the more time it will need to aerate. Lighter-bodied red wines such as Pinot Noir that have lower tannin levels, will need little if any time to breathe.
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