Question about opening wine
 

Hello wine snobs

I have a few bottles of wine that are at the top of my $ tolerance i've been sitting on that I'm going to open for a dinner and I just wanted your input because i know you have an opinion.

What do you like to do?

Open and drink - who cares!
Open it and let the open bottle sit for some time?
Open it and decant it and let sit?

Any choice from above + add an aerator.

You get my drift. What do you like?

The last few I've been holding on to that I pulled out didn't really blow my d1ck off so I just want to give myself the best chance of being happy about it.

Thanks!

How old?
If they're more than 6 or so, they'll taste great immediately, and then suck unless you give them 2-3 hrs.
If less, its a crapshoot. Some are better day 2, some are fine out of the box. My current fave Ribera is much better without decanting, but exposure ot air for 45 min or so, and then the next day.
Unfortunately for us peons, its a crapshoot.

2013 Brunello and a 2013 tuscan something or other

I have a solid wine philosophy. It works for me.

I don't store wine. (Lessons learned the hard way!)
I buy to consume.
Red wine preferred 90% of the time.
I have a decanter. I have used it from time to time on better stuff I thought would benefit.
I had an aerator. Got rid of it. If I think it needs air, I do a "splashy" pour.

Mostly I just enjoy it and keep it simple.

To answer: drink and enjoy for almost everything. If it is old, complex, expensive, I will decant if I get around to it.

I am curious to hear what someone more educated and smarter than me thinks. I am merely an enthusiastic consumer.

Decant it, drink it

I would pour it into a glass and swirl and drink slowly. The bottle will open up and change. Like a new glass every time.

I’m not a wine snob, but anything really good I will decanter. Somewhere between 1 to 3 hrs.

We drinnk wine ocassionally. I like to decant it by/in the glass, since we usually only drink a glass at a time. I have one of those air pumps with stoppers I use to store the rest of the bottle.

They'll probably taste good with some 7Up and ice.

I would decant a 2013 Brunello as well as the Tuscan Something or other. Probably a Sangiovese based wine. Won't hurt it. Enjoy!

A lot depends on how the individual bottle aged. It should taste ‘ok’ and then improve for hours or a day.

Id open and pour a little and smell and sip it. If its got a lot of volatiles then decant. If it tastes good and is smooth then id leave it in the bottle.

Open too early or decant a tasty wine and it might lose some flavors you like. Some stuff really takes a few hours to settle and taste really good.

I wouldnt get too upset about not enjoying it- thats how you learn what sort of wine you like. Theres a lot of expensive italian wine that i cant stand (and theres also expensive and moderate priced italian wine that i love.)

If it's a white wine just drink the stuff. All tastes the same ;)

If it's a red let it breath. You could decant it or pour it through an aerator as you mentioned.

A lower end of the market pinot noir that I sometimes drink tastes a bit yuck straight out of the bottle and even when poured through a aerator. But once it's oxidised it's marvellous. I just screw the top back on and try it the next evening. It's not even similar to what it was.

Your high end stuff is probably fine by just opening the bottle a few hours early.

I like to gently twist the cork screw in and slowly remove the cork. Then I let it breathe. But if I can't hear it breathing, I quickly give it mouth to mouth to resuscitate

I think everyone above has covered it. I would probably contact the vintners and ask them. I have 2 bottles of 1987 Spring Mountain cabernet left and if I can ever find someone to enjoy them with, I will call Spring Mountain first.

I like to open the box, sniff the plastic stopper, and proudly pronounce it a fine vintage.

Righty-tighty lefty-loosey?

I let the Reds sit for an hour or two after opening. Should I find myself stuck with a White I'll chill it and drink it immediately after opening with my eyes closed. :D

My approach to whites is different. I don’t put any expectations on them. My favorite is Vinho Verde from Portugal. Verde signifies the youth of the wine, not the color. It’s my go to in the summer and is the wine drinkers equivalent of Budweiser. No surprises, not too heavy.

Perfect description.

We just went to a class at a local winery. Decant with reds was the default suggestion.

"For younger reds, a quick splash decant helps soften its tannins. For older reds, the decanting process allows for any potential off-aromas that may have developed with bottle age to dissipate, presenting just the perfectly-aged character of the older vintage itself."