“Let your wine breathe.”
It’s a saying you’ve probably heard before, but not everyone may know why it’s worth taking the extra step to decant your wine. Exposing wine to a bit of fresh air in a decanter can dramatically change and enhance the flavor, as most wines have no oxygen exposure for years inside their bottles. A little air activates dormant tastes and aromas in your wine by softening the tannins. Decanters also separate sediments that have formed during aging, which may not be pleasant to drink.