- Keep the bottle in an upright position for a few hours. This makes the sediment (which is denser) in the wine settle down to the bottom.
- Open the bottle (using a knife or foil-cutter to cut the foil and a corkscrew to remove the cork). Make sure you do NOT shake the bottle while opening it (which will unsettle the sediment).
- Check the cork for wine leakage, in which case wipe the rim of the bottle with a cloth. Make sure the wine is not tainted due to corking. The condition of the cork can also point to whether air tightness of the bottle was lost during storage (which makes the wine vinegary in taste).
- Pour the wine gently into the decanter with a light source behind the bottle while you are pouring the wine. This will help you distinguish the wine from the denser, thicker sediment while pouring. Stop pouring when the sediment reaches the neck of the bottle.
- Aerate the wine in the decanter for about an hour before serving. You can even swirl the decanter for a few minutes to aerate the poured wine. Excessive aeration will render the wine vinegary and sour.
- The wine left in the bottle (which has a lot of sediment) can be added to gravy, particularly for roasted meats.
