Let’s first start with the definition of decant, which Google so amazingly laid out:

Why do we need to decant?

Not every wine needs decanting. Many of us associate decanting with older vintage port wines or aged Bordeaux – wines that throw off a lot of sediment as they age. Decanting separates the wine from the sediment, which not only would not look nice in your glass, but would also make the wine taste more astringent. Slowly and carefully decanting the wine ensures that the sediment stays in the bottle and you get a nice clear wine in the decanter, and subsequently in your glass.

A second and more everyday reason to decant is to aerate the wine. Many young wines can be tight or closed on the nose or palate. As the wine is slowly poured from the bottle to the decanter it takes in oxygen, which helps open up the aromas and flavors. Highly tannic and full-bodied wines benefit most from this – wines such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet blends, Syrah, and Syrah blends.

Decanting your wine separates the wine from this sediment. That is all!!

To my mind red or white, young or old, all serious wines deserve and benefit from the decanting process – even if is only that it forces you to pause, slow down and prepare to concentrate on what you are about to taste.

Decanting white wine – yes or no?

Most people probably don’t think about decanting white wine. However, there are quite a few white wines that can really benefit from it, particularly higher-end wines that can age, as these can sometimes taste a bit awkward when first poured from the bottle. Decanting helps the wine to open up. On the other hand most everyday young whites do not need decanting.

When it comes to sparkling wines, I don’t think we should be decanting it. That’s just personal opinion. So apparently it’s quite popular with the older champagnes but I can’t see myself doing that. I feel like the amount of carbonation put into wines is perfect for that sparkling wine and you’ll be ruining the structural “integrity” of the wine.

So I hope this brought you a little insight on decanting and don’t let people who think they know more, tell you anything else. That’s my advice from the WineSnob!