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Originally Posted by
pabloj 
Good as a starter, real crystal is a different thing.
Note that aerating wine is not injecting oxygen into it, the process has to be slow.
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From a chemical standpoint, decanting exposes a wine to air, triggering oxidation and evaporation. Wine is extremely complex, containing literally hundreds of compounds, but the fruit character that provides much of a wine's allure comes from a relatively small portion of them. Unfortunately, these crucial compounds oxidize easily. An oxidized wine will be stale and flat, devoid of richness. A wine's response to aeration depends upon its fruit concentration, as well as factors (such as pH and temperature) that mitigate oxidation.
Other compounds in wine can inhibit the expression of fruit character. Sulfites, for example, are added during the production process to prevent oxidation and inhibit microbial activity, but in excess they can impart a burnt matchstick character. Sulfides, a different class of compounds, can form naturally during winemaking and in the bottle, imparting undesirable traits such as rotten egg and onion skin aromas.
Ideally, decanting allows undesirable compounds to evaporate faster than the fruit oxidizes.
http://www.winespectator.com/Wine/Ar...5,4385,00.html
Not every wine should be decanted. IMO, when you do do it, get it done with and drink your wine. It is fragile and ephemeral stuff. If you make it a
slow process as stated above, you are gonna lose some of the highly volatile compounds that make a complex wine complex. A speedy aeration helps blow off the bad stuff, like sulfites, while allowing the tender compounds to be preserved long enough to appreciate. Just IMO though and what do I know?
Oh yeah, and the guys at Wine Spectator
