Ask Jim - should you let wine breathe?
Jim Chatto
Leading young winemaker, Jim Chatto
Dear Jim.
Why do we let wine breathe?
- Henley, QLD
When we let a wine breathe we are allowing it to react with oxygen (called oxidation or oxidisation). This natural reaction can be beneficial to the wine because the environment in a well-sealed bottle is reductive (the opposite of oxidative). This reductive state can render the wine to be 'closed' with respect to aroma. Once we introduce a little bit of air, the reductive condition is reversed and the wine can literally 'open up', enhancing the bouquet.
Caution is advised here as not all wines react well to air and can oxidise very quickly (spoil) when exposed to air. The general rule is the more delicate a wine the less air is necessary to unlock flavour.
Also age is an important consideration; a vibrant young red can tolerate a fair degree of air, literally blossoming and changing in aroma over several hours and indeed days. Whereas the same wine's 40 year old ancestor may fade very quickly once exposed to air.
In my experience, an old wine is best decanted to remove sediment, then served fairly quickly. That way the taster gets to control the level of 'breathing' in the glass by swirling, as well as how long the wine is allowed to stay in the glass.
This is one of the great joys of wine, watching how they literally transform in glass, telling a different story from the first sip to the last. Many noted wine tasters will often hold onto a small amount of a particular wine throughout a tasting or dinner constantly coming back to it and marvelling at the transformations it undergoes.
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Please note, Jim will endeavour to answer as many questions as he can, however there may be delays between submission of questions and publications. Emails will not receive personal responses.
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