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Giving a bottle of red wine time to breathe - that is, exposing it to air for a time after opening it - is one of those venerable customs that is thought to separate the true oenophile from the wine wannabe. And like most venerable customs, it contains a fair measure of hooey.

Breathing - or aeration - is said to allow oxygen to react with the compounds in wine that give it flavor, making it smoother and allowing its complexities to show. A good red wine whose flavors don't show through on first opening is said to be "tight," and is allowed to breathe either by decanting (pouring into another container) or simply leaving the bottle open for a while.

The mistake many neophytes make is to assume that all reds need aeration. Many is the time I've dined out with wine snobs who insist that a bottle be left open for several minutes without even so much as a taste. But the fact is that not all wines need aeration, and those that do require different amounts of air exposure. After a certain point, exposure to air starts to degrade a wine's taste, so unnecessary breathing can actually spoil your experience. The amount of air needed to smooth out a tannic younger wine can ruin an older vintage. Proceed with care.

The best course is to taste the wine carefully right after it's opened. If it's smooth, complex and delicious, go ahead and pour it for your guests right away. If it seems a little unbalanced, give it a few swirls in your glass and taste again. Sometimes a little swish is all the breathing a wine needs.

Now, if you've ordered an expensive bottle that just doesn't seem to be living up to its potential at first taste, let it stay in the open bottle for five or ten minutes, and taste again. Keep checking at regular intervals until the flavors have opened up nicely.

As for decanting - it's a must for any wine that has aged long enough to leave a deposit of sediment at the bottom. But decanting exposes a wine to a lot of air, so keep checking it very carefully if you think it needs time to rest. The trick is to let the wine breathe - not hyperventilate!

Learn more about this author, Scott Knickelbine.
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