How to Decant Wine: Does It Actually Make a Difference?

Wed, 04 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000

You’ve probably seen someone pour wine into a glass decanter at a restaurant or dinner party and wondered whether it actually does anything, or whether it’s just performance. The short answer: decanting genuinely makes a difference – but not for every wine, and not always in the way people think.

What Decanting Actually Does

Decanting serves two distinct purposes, and they’re often confused:

1. Aeration (Exposing Wine to Air)

When wine sits in a sealed bottle, the volatile compounds that create aromas and flavours are compressed. Pouring wine into a decanter – or even just swirling it aggressively in a glass – exposes it to oxygen, which:

Decanting on Sommo — AI Wine Scanner, WSET Prep & Wine Journal App

How to Decant Wine: Does It Actually Make a Difference?

What Decanting Actually Does

1. Aeration (Exposing Wine to Air)