| Drinking wine at dinner is obviously a very | | | | is designed to create a much larger surface of |
| common act and the same goes for when you | | | | wine exposed to the air. You can go with a fancy |
| are in a restaurant. The question, however, is how | | | | decanter or just use a glass pitcher. |
| do you deal with letting a wine breathe in the | | | | So, what about letting a wine breathe in a |
| restaurant setting. | | | | restaurant? The waiter or waitress will ask you if |
| There are two areas of misconception when it | | | | you want to let the wine breathe. If you say yes, |
| comes to wine that arise over and over. The first | | | | they will often pop the cork and then walk away. |
| is that wine can be evaluated by how the "legs" | | | | Again, this isn't going to cut it. Just popping the |
| look when it is swirled in a wine glass. The legs | | | | cork does not expose enough of the wine to the |
| indicate the alcohol evaporation rate, not the | | | | oxygen that would mature the taste. |
| taste. Regardless, the second area has to do with | | | | At this point, your best option is to ask the |
| letting a wine breathe. | | | | waiter to decant the wine. This may be met with |
| By definition, your basic bottle of wine is an | | | | a blank stare, but the bigger problem will probably |
| enclosed environment. It is set up to age slowly, | | | | be that the wine does not have any decanters. If |
| but this process can be jump started a bit when | | | | so, you have one final option. Ask the waiter to |
| exposed to oxygen. This is why a bottle of wine | | | | pour everyone at the table a glass of wine and |
| left open over night will be nasty. It oxidizes | | | | then let it sit. Wine in a glass does not have much |
| excessively and essentially spoils the wine. | | | | depth, so the slightly larger area exposed to the |
| Whine should be exposed to the air for a matter | | | | air is usually sufficient to do the trick. |
| of minutes. Many people mistakenly believe that | | | | Drinking wine in a restaurant is a common and |
| popping the cork on the bottle is sufficient when it | | | | enjoyable compliment to your meal. When |
| comes to letting a wine breathe. It is not and | | | | appropriate, just make sure to let that wine |
| makes no serious difference. Why? The surface | | | | breathe sufficiently even if you need to do it in |
| of the wine exposed to the air is too small. The | | | | the wine glasses. |
| better approach is to decant the wine. A decanter | | | | |