Decanting red wine 🍷

 I get lots of emails from wineries spruiking their wines 🍷 don’t we all?

Anyway, the latest was from a Coonawarra winemaker who explained that his 2019 Shiraz was a bit ‘tight’. He gave a great tip on how to loosen it, rather than decant it. A great tip for when you open a red ... see the winemaker’s comments below 🍷

While this vintage is tighter than Kylie's gold hotpants - all is not lost. A tight wine usually refers to young wine, and it can be applied to a wine's aromas, flavours or structure. Being tight isn't always a bad thing. In fact, it's kind of a backhanded compliment. 

So how do you loosen up a tight wine? Pour a single glass for starters. Whack the lid back on and 'shake it like a polaroid picture' Alternatively, if Outkast is not your thing you can just gently roll the bottle on its side which creates a greater surface area for the wine, allowing it to breath. Consider this a cheeky wine saving way of decanting in the bottle. Tannins bind together, and you will find that the wine is smoother in flavour and has a softer mouthfeel.