Whether your cellar is stocked with old or young bottles, a decanter can enhance your tasting experience.
“
Decanting a
mature wine promotes the separation of sediments and wine.
Decanting a young wine
allows it to open up and reveal more complexity, aromas and flavors
,” recalls Philippe Marquès, sommelier at the Royal Champagne Hôtel & Spa, in Champillon (Marne).
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Rinse immediately after use
Did you decant wine at your last dinner?
Once the container is completely empty, rinse it with water at the end of the evening.
If you don't want to tackle this task the same evening, pour a little water in it, this will prevent the last drops from drying inside.
You will clean it the next day.
“When rinsing for the first time, I fill the carafe halfway and shake it a little.
I then rinse a second time, filling the carafe to the brim, to remove odors
,” explains Philippe Marquès.
You can also dilute a few drops of dishwashing liquid (as neutral as possible) in your water, as long as you rinse the carafe well afterwards.
Little tip from Victor Ulrich, general manager of Riedel France, an oenological glassware company: “
If the
water is hard
, rinse your carafe one last time with 5 cl of distilled water, this will avoid traces of minerals during drying.
» Then let it dry.
If its design allows it, store it upside down on a carafe drainer (often, a kind of metal pick on a spiral-shaped support, €10.50 on vinatis.com, for example) in order to avoid condensation inside.
If its shape is convoluted, remove as much water as possible and use a dry bottle brush (silk, sponge, etc.) to dry the inside.
In both cases, wipe the exterior with a microfiber cloth to make it shine.
Remove stains
Several solutions are available to you.
You can use white vinegar or baking soda diluted in water.
“
The stain often comes from the fact that the wine has become encrusted in a
limestone deposit
,
” specifies Philippe Marquès.
Let the product work well, and if the stains are set in, brush them with a bottle brush before rinsing.
Rather than using a jug brush, you can also add eggshells to the vinegar or baking soda.
Then stir the mixture for a few minutes to obtain an abrasive effect.
Another solution to get rid of stains is to use cleaning balls (€9.50 per box of Riedel stainless steel balls).
Fill your carafe with water, add the beads slowly to the carafe and stir gently.
Finally, you can divert denture cleaning tablets.
Dissolve them in water and soak the insides until the wine stains disappear.
Rinse well and dry.
Also read: I haven't finished my glass of wine: can I reuse it in the garden?
Restore and repair
Is your crystal decanter in poor condition (stained, dull, etc.)?
It is possible to have it restored almost to new condition, by means of acid cleaning.
A service offered, for example, by the Schweitzer crystal works in Île-de-France.
Count between €50 and €100 depending on the size of the carafe.
The large crystal factories (Saint-Louis, Baccarat, etc.), no longer have, to our knowledge, an in-house service to repair a damaged piece.
On the other hand, they will recommend qualified craftsmen to you.
There are not very many of them anymore: Schweitzer and Cristal Benito crystal factories in the Paris region, Vessière Cristaux and L'Atelier du cristal L'Ortega, in Baccarat... These craftsmen will know how to recut chipped crystal, blow a new piece identically and glue it back together on the carafe.
The cost of the repair will depend on the time spent on your carafe.
Count around €75 per half hour.