Ask a Wine-Know: It’s all about breathing
Ask a Wine-Know: It’s all about breathing
"Just what’s going on when the waiter asks us if we want the wine opened now to 'let it breathe?'"
That’s our question for today, and the short answer is not much. Letting a wine breathe is the act of permitting air to infuse wine for the purpose of aerating it. There should not be much space left for air when a bottle of wine is uncorked, so not much air is actually touching the wine. I always nod and say, “Yes, please,” if all guests have arrived and the wine is red. Sometimes you don’t know if the waiter will be back anytime soon and you can serve the wine yourself if you’re just dying for that glass of wine after a hard day!
You can actually aerate wine better by pouring it into the glasses and letting it sit a few minutes. All good waiters will do this right after bringing you the bottle, offering it to you for inspection, pulling the cork, and then saying, “Shall I pour it now?” A taste is then poured into your glass so that you can determine if the bottle is satisfactory, and then everyone else is served before your glass is filled. Swirling your glass usually does the trick of getting enough air into your wine. If a wine really needs aerating, the act of pouring it into a decanter serves that purpose best.
So what is this all about? You’ve read or heard that the enemies of wine are air, heat and light. Why are we putting air (breathing) back into wine when those darn corks are there in the first place to keep it out? First, we pour the wine and let it sit for a few minutes if it is a young red wine, especially a Cabernet Sauvignon or Syrah or a big Zinfandel. We do this to let the tannins in these wines blow off.
Remember tannins? That’s the substance in wines that gives them that mouth-puckering taste and seems to dry up our saliva.The tannins don’t disappear with aeration but the wine will soften and be easier to drink. Now you know one of the reasons why that wine always seems to taste better as the dinner wears on. Incidentally, tannins are found in the skins, seeds and stems of the grape. Red wines are left on these to ferment, white wines are not. This also imparts the color to the wine.
Secondly, we swirl the wine in the glass to release the aromas and enhance the smell (and hence the taste) of the wine. In this case, air is good for the wine. Some wines I could just sit and sniff all day! That’s one of the ways you know you have a really great wine. Ahhh, a big Chardonnay or Pinot Noir from the Russian River — seventh heaven!
Sometimes there is a distinct sulphur smell when a bottle is opened. This often blows off, or dissipates. But if you smell a really unpleasant aroma, like vinegar, mildew, or dirty socks you probably have a bad bottle. Send it back. The restaurant will replace it.
A wine is aerated nicely as it is poured into any decanter. A decanter is mostly used to rid an old wine of sediment. It really won’t hurt the wine, but it does offend the aesthetics of wine drinking for many.
Questions? Comments? Send Ann e-mail at: acierley@etcrier.net
Coming Events
March 22 — Bakersfield Wine Society at The Petroleum Club, 5060 California Ave. Floor 12, will hold a winemaker dinner featuring St. Supery Winery from Napa Valley. To make reservations or for details, call Mike Stepanovich at 588-0783 or 342-2339.
