Glossary
- Tannins are polyphenols, tannins that impart astringency to wine.
- Aeration - oxygenation of the wine.
- Decanter - a vessel for aerating wine and removing it from sediment.
- Decantation - removal of wine from the sediment.
- Grand Cru is a vineyard that produces wines of the highest quality, the designation is traditionally used in France.
- Blend, assemblage, blend - wine made from several grape varieties.
- Sangiovese, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre are red grape varieties.
- "Chardonnay", "Viognier", "Marsan", "Rusan" are white grape varieties.
The denser and richer the wine, the longer it takes to open. Light wines, designed to be drunk young, do not need aeration: they are already bright. The wines aged in oak barrels open up the longest, and these can be not only red wines, but also white ones. It's all about tannins, tannins that get into the wine primarily from the skins of grapes, but also, if the wine was aged in oak barrels, from oak wood. When we say "closed wine", we often mean tannins. The main gustatory and often not very pleasant feature of tannins is that they give the wine characteristic astringent properties, especially aggressive in young wine.
Sometimes it is enough just to open the bottle in advance, and sometimes the wine starts to open right in the glass, especially if these are glasses specially sharpened for active aeration, such as BORK HW501, which, by the way, are suitable, by the way, not only for aged red wines, but also for dense white wines and vintage champagnes. … But one thing is obvious: the more time the wine spent in the bottle, the more prolonged aeration it requires.
So, it is recommended to decant more serious wines that take time to sparkle with all possible colors of their bouquet. Once upon a time, the decanter was invented so that the natural sediment of old wines did not fall into the glass, today its purpose is rather aeration. The larger the area of contact of the wine with air, the faster it will open. And yet, even with a decanter, you have to wait.
What if there is no way to wait and the guests who are able to share with you the joy of opening a worthy bottle from your collection suddenly appeared? Decant the drink in BORK Z600, an innovative decanter that helps to open up the wine in a matter of seconds: its unique innovative aeration system instantly removes nitrogen and carbon dioxide from the air stream and creates a stream of highly concentrated oxygen - this effect allows you to quickly activate the molecules of aromatic compounds. The wine is ready to be consumed 60 times faster than in a conventional decanter. Another indisputable plus of using the Z600 is that the powerful tannins of aged red wines become much softer, and in general the wine does not leave any unpleasant sensations in the morning.
So which wines from our so far virtual cellar are really worth decanting?
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Bordeaux
Absolutely classic story - it seems that the decanter was invented specifically for this traditionally powerful assemblage of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Good Grand Cru, wine from the best Bordeaux vineyards, always made to live for decades, including as an investment. If, nevertheless, you are going to open it, remember that Bordeaux is divided into right and left banks - on the right in the blend a softer "merlot" dominates, on the left - a more structured "Cabernet Sauvignon". A good burgundy requires a large, voluminous glass, such as BORK HW501 made of crystal glass, created in the oldest manufactory in Hungary together with the famous sommelier Silvio Nietzsche. The shape with a depression in the center allows you to saturate the drink with oxygen already during the filling of the glass and quickly reveal the taste and aroma of wine.
California
The rich Californian cabernets were born in the last century from the desire to make wines as good as Bordeaux - and in the end, these wines are as expensive as they are heavy. Decantation is a must, powerful Californian tannins are a challenge for the Z600. It is worth decanting some of the Californian Burgundy-style chardonnays: aging in new barrels of strong roasting, so beloved in California, also quite saturates the wines with tannins.
Burgundy
Burgundy has given the world two exemplary wine styles - sophisticated and elegant pinot noir and thick and oily, barrel-aged chardonnay. It is worth decanting both, especially when it comes to wines of the Grand Cru category, and again - glasses for Burgundy wines should be as large as possible, although not as high as for Bordeaux, a little more open - BORK HW501 is perfect.
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Tuscany
Tuscan Sangiovese, an acidic and tannin variety, is usually aged in barrels, both large (tonno) and small (barriques). Aging allows you to soften the structure of the wine, making it more ready for consumption. Aged wines of the Chianti Classico category - all of these manifestations of Sangiovese will benefit from aeration, as will the "Supertuscany" - Tuscan wines with international varieties. Tuscan tannins are not too rough, thinner, but can be as heavy as burgundy tannins. Z600 to help you!
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Rhone Valley wines
The most famous wine of the northern part of the Rhone Valley is the smoky and berry Hermitage, powerful and elegant at the same time. The most famous wine in the southern part of the Rhone Valley is Châteauneuf-du-Pape, an assemblage of many powerful southern grape varieties, of which the main ones are Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre; the wine is even more powerful. In the Rhone Valley, many ordinary wines are produced "for every day", but if we are talking about the best wines aged for several years in barrels, then decantation in the Z600 is simply necessary for them. Like air. Interestingly, white wines from varieties such as Viognier, Marsan or Rusan often turn out to be no less intense than red ones, and they can also be decanted.
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Australian Shiraz
The Syrah variety, having moved to the New World, found its second home in Australia, received the name Shiraz and became the embodiment of perhaps one of the most intense styles of red wines in principle. It is imperative to decant - this will allow you to more fully feel the characteristic notes of pepper and eucalyptus.
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Vintage port
Vintage port is every collector's dream. Usually, the best port manufacturers release the declared vintages no more than three times per decade, only in the years of the best harvests. The understanding that a certain harvest can be called outstanding comes to the producer two or three years later, when the future port has already shown itself in the cellar. Often in vintage port, a natural natural sediment can fall out, so decantation is simply necessary for it. But glasses are better to choose a smaller volume, such as BORK HW500.
Champagne
This is no joke - champagne, however, can be decanted, if only we are talking about vintage champagnes. These wines are made only during the years of successful harvests, sometimes they ferment in barrels, so they are very rich wines, it is understood that they can be stored for decades. A characteristic detail is that the play of bubbles in such wines is not too intense, and the longer the wine is stored, the less it becomes. Decantation will definitely not prevent such wines from opening. Large glasses BORK HW502 are also highly recommended.
Aged redfoot
The secret weapon of Russians in the field of wine is aged wines made from such a variety as Krasnostop. According to research, wine was made from it on the Don as early as 200-300 years ago. Today, individual winemakers work with him in both Rostov and Anapa, some of these wines are winning international competitions and have very good marks in international ratings. South Russian red wines can also be very, very dense, even aggressive. Decantation in the Z600 will not only become an important functional solution for them, but also give them an aesthetic gloss - so you can definitely convince your opponents (you will definitely have them in this tasting) that Russian wines can be really good.
The world of wine is diverse, each style and region has its own admirers, but aged wines that require decantation will always remain in the top desires of all enophiles, without exception.>