Wine Folly hit a home run with their article on three ways to decant wine, including hyper decanting. Madeline Puckette’s seven-minute video is definitely worth a watch. In it, she highlights three ways. to decant:
- Decanter: The classic and “slowest” method is to pour wine into a glass container with a large surface area.
- Aerator: These little devices bubble air through wine as it pours, thus creating a speed-decanter.
- Hyper Decanter: Essentially, you’re mixing wine in a blender!
Why is decanting a good thing to do? It adds more oxygen to the wine, which usually makes it smell better and taste smoother.
But hyper decanting? I had never heard of this method, so I did a little research. Here’s what I discovered.
Wineandsommelier.com’s Take on Hyper Decanting
Wineandsommelier.com blended their wine on the highest setting for 15-second intervals. They let the froth subdue before they served the wine.
They said that after the first 15 seconds, the wine closely resembled the traditionally decanted wine but was darker. At the 30-second mark, the wine was less structured, more floral and less tanic. At the 45-second mark, the wine was destroyed.
They said they had fun trying this method, but they don’t recommend it.
Melbournefoodandwine.com’s Take
This organization isn’t a fan of the blending method. They say, “Aside from the wine being frothier than a milkshake, the blended stuff tasted like it had been open for a week. Although exposure to air largely benefits a wine, it also triggers chemical reactions that, over time, cause the wine to lose vibrancy in colour and flavour, eventually turning it to vinegar.”
Town and Country Mag Nails It
I think Town and Country Mag nailed it. They said, “If for some reason you want to open an extremely young, tannic Cabernet Sauvignon or Bordeaux blend or Syrah before its time, hyper decanting may smooth out the rough edges somewhat.”
So, am I going to hyper decant? Probably not, unless I come across a harsh wine that I’m drinking too young. Have you ever tried this method? What did you think?
