If you're looking for a wine decanter for yourself or you want to give one as a gift, discover where to buy decanters ranging from the simple and elegant to extravagant styles that are a little out of the ordinary. Whether you want affordable, simple, luxurious, big brand names, or decanters that express your artistic side, you'll the perfect model at recommended retailers.
5 Places to Buy a Wine Decanter
Most retailers that sell barware also sell decanters, but if you're looking for something to truly showcase and aerate your wine, you can't go wrong with the following five retailers.
Wine Enthusiast - Decanters for Wine Lovers
Whether you'd like a decanter with a built-in aerator, one that looks like a work of art, or a simple, classic decanter, Wine Enthusiast is sure to have exactly what you need. You can buy personalized decanters here, as well as decanters for whiskey and spirits, gift sets that include glasses and decanters, and accessories such as tags, funnels, and decanting stoppers. Prices start at about $35 and go upwards to hundreds of dollars for truly unique and special decanters. Makers include Riedel and Zenology.
Wine Stuff - Simple Decanters From Reliable Brands
With a large collection of decanters from manufacturers such as Riedel, Metrokane, Ravenscroft, and Spiegelau, Wine Stuff is an excellent source for all wine accessories. Prices start at about $40 and move upward from there, and you'll find decanters in all styles and types of functionality.
Williams Sonoma - Decanters Online and in Stores
Williams Sonoma has a nice selection of decanters online, and if you are near one of their brick and mortar stores, it's a great way to get a physical sense of the decanter before you buy it. Pricing starts at about $50, although you may be able to find clearance decanters for a substantial savings on the website. At Williams Sonoma, you'll find brands such as Schott Zwiesel and Riedel.
Overstock.com - Affordable Decanters
Overstock is a great place to find discounts on closeout or overstock items, and the site has a surprising array of cool wine and spirits decanters starting at about $30 and maxing out at about $150. You'll find interesting shapes, hand-cut crystal, and even some big names here such as Riedel, so it's definitely worth a look to see what they've got before you spend big bucks elsewhere.
Scully & Scully - Luxury Decanters
If you're looking for something truly artistic and tasteful, try Scully & Scully, which has unique luxury barware including wine decanters. These beautiful decanters are works of art with a price tag reflecting this; costs start at about $350, but if you're looking for something with design flare from luxury goods makers such as Waterford, William Yeoward Studio, or Lalique, this New York City retailer is the place to go either online or the next time you're in the city.
About Wine Decanters
You may have heard in the past that every wine needs to be decanted. This isn't necessarily true. Simply pouring wine into a different vessel other than the bottle it's in isn't necessarily decanting. There are all sorts of reasons as to why people decant their wine, but the main reason is it allows the wine to breathe or aerate. The truth of the matter is most wines are perfectly fine straight from the bottle to the glass, but some older vintages really need decanting.
Why Decant?
There are many reasons why you might choose to decant your wine.
Remove Sediment
Older vintage wines have sediment on the bottom of the bottle. This sediment isn't a bad thing; it's just the wine showing its age, but you certainly don't want the sediment to end up in you or your guests' wine glasses. To prevent that from happening, you can decant the wine
Let the Wine Breathe
Additionally, wine that has been bottled up for many years needs to breathe. As soon as the wine touches the air, it begins to oxidize. Though oxidation is like a four letter word in the wine world, a little bit of air is necessary to mellow out big wines and to allow its bouquet and flavor characteristics to open.
Make a Style Statement
There are, of course, other, more simple reasons as to why people like to decant their wines. For instance, the decanter looks nicer on a formal table setting or maybe the hostess doesn't want to reveal that she's chosen a $15 bottle of wine over a more expensive bottle. Although many believe good, inexpensive wine is something to be celebrated and shared, not everyone feels that way.
The Art of Decanting
If you're in a hurry or just a little anxious to enjoy your glass of wine, all you have to do to decant is simply pour the bottle of wine into the decanter very slowly. When you see the sediment reaching the neck of the bottle, stop pouring, set the bottle down, and wait for the sediment to sink back down to the bottom of the bottle.
If you truly want to do it correctly, pour the bottle while it's lit from behind by some sort of light source such as a lighter, flashlight, or candle. The light allows the pourer to better see the sediment and stop the flow of the wine before the sediment falls from the bottle and makes its way to the decanter.
Choosing a Decanter
If you aren't into drinking very old, very expensive wines and want a decanter simply because it looks nice, choose a less expensive one. If you are into drinking very expensive and very old wines often, choose a more expensive decanter so it will withstand heavy use. As always, wash the decanter properly by hand to reduce film, residue, and spots and to preserve the life of your decanter. Consider purchasing a drying stand especially made for these wine vessels.
