The Decanter is a special container similar to a glass or crystal cruet, normally used to decant wine or other alcoholic beverages. Its particular shape , large at the bottom and narrow at the top, permits aged wines to oxygenise and develop in the most possible way their best aromatic bouquet. Its main aim is to decant : in other words to separate solid parts formed during wine aging from the wine itself. To start decanting , the first action is to carefully clean our bottle and then place it in a wine basket. Then open the bottle in a laid down position in order not to move our sediments. Pouring must happen slowly, without fast movements and particularly without gurgling. To avoid sediments to enter the decanter, keep a light source close to the bottle, in order to see any residues when they reach the neck of the bottle. Particular precautions can be used depending on the type of wine we decide to decant. If you decant an aged wine, you must pour with caution to preserve its clarity and brightness from eventual sediments: in those cases the decanter must have a thin neck and a narrow base, that reduces risks of oxygenation. To avoid the disappearance of the bouquet scents, uncork the bottle just right before serving. If you pour a young wine, to intensify oxygenation, you must decant the wine pouring it down heavily directly into the decanter. An important wine, but still young, needs even more time to decant before consumption: using this practise for example we can taste some time in advance a 5 years Barolo or Brunello or a 3 years Amarone o Taurasi, as the exposition to oxygen will widen the young wine, softening the tannins on your palate. For this operation you will use a decanter with a flat shape and a wide base, which ensures maximum contact within wine and oxygen; as for the timings, better to complete the process from one to four hours before serving.