Silver Decanters

Why decant wine?

This is a very good question! As J.A Campbell rely heavily on sales of sterling silver necked crystal decanters and sterling silver and crystal claret jugs.

Today most wine are routinely filtered and fined to a reasonable high clarity whilst in yesteryear this not quite the case. This led to the development of the decanter as we know it today thereby removing the unsightly sediment before it reaches the table. Some wine today, especially older reds, can still contain considerable amounts of sediment. Even a young wine will benefit tremendously for being decanted as it alters the wine, smoothing its slightly tannic structure and allowing the more complex aromas to be released.

How to decant wine?

Try to ensure the bottle is placed upright from its stored horizontal position at least a day prior to decanting allowing the sediment to collect at the bottom. Remove all the foil from the neck so you have a clear view into the neck of the bottle. Position a small lighted candle or small torch so the light is behind the neck/top of the bottle. Use a good quality wire spiral silver cork screw and screw into the cork without revolving the bottle and disturbing the sediment. Remove cork. Pour smoothly, slowly and without stopping trying to avoid too much 'glug'. Towards the end of the pour, with the candle light behind, watch carefully for any sediment collecting at the shoulder. Stop pouring at this point. Your decanter should now contain clear wine and be suitably aerated. The could be approximately a quarter of a glass of wine remaining in the bottle, the addition of this to a roast dinner gravy is well worth the effort.

An additional item worth considering in decanting is a sterling silver wine funnel, the main feature of the funnel are a grid to capture the larger pieces of sediment and a muslin filter to remove the finer particles.

Enjoy your wine from a decanter by J A Campbell.

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