If you are a wine drinker (and in this day and age, who isn’t?) you may
wonder what the difference is between a decanter and a carafe. Both names are
bandied about, but which is which, and why?
There are a couple of reasons why you should transfer wine from the
bottle into a decanter or carafe before serving it for a meal – or any other
time. Many wines, particularly red wines, need oxygen in order to bring out the
subtle flavours of the wine to their best. Locked up in a bottle, they have no
access to oxygen, but when it is available the wine is able to “breathe”. This
releases the flavours.
Not only is the wine able to breathe, but when you transfer it to a decanter you are able to leave any sediment that may have become deposited in the bottle where it is.
A Large Surface Area
Now, in order for the wine to breathe freely, you need as large a
surface area as possible on the wine. So, most decanters have a wide base and a
long narrow neck. This means that the wine in the base of the decanter is able
to access as much air as possible. However, too much air can actually have an
effect on the wine, and so most decanters have a stopper.
A carafe on the other hand has a long body with a small base which enables it to hold a large volume of wine while at the same time not taking up too much space on the dining table. It doesn’t have a stopper. Most people use a carafe for soft drinks or for white or rose wines, as these do not have as much need for oxygenation as red wines such as Merlot or Cabernet Sauvignon.
Crystal glass wine carafes are often very elegant or “showy” as they tend
to be used as much for decoration on the table as for practical purposes. Of
course, you can use either depending upon your preference, but since crystal
glass wine carafes do not have a stopper, you shouldn’t use them for
storing wine after the meal. However, you should note that even if you are
using a decanter, the wine should not be stored for more than a couple of days,
as the flavours will tend to go off.
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