Decanting Old Wines, and Young To decant or not to decant? It's a question that I hear all the time and one that has no simple answer. As with so many wine queries, it must be answered bottle by bottle. Nonetheless, I've tried to address some of the issues in my column this week. Wine is generally decanted for two reasons: separating aged wines from sediment, and giving air to young wines in order to release aromas and flavors. Few debate the sediment issue: who wants a mouthful of grit? That's the reason you'll see photos of sommeliers using a candle to illuminate the neck of a bottle as they decant it, so they can spot the first sign of sediment before it is poured into the decanter. The candle, of course, is a charming old method. Nowadays a flashlight will do, or an iPhone app. The other reason for decanting, aerating the wine, is more debatable. Some believe it's crucial, others feel it is useless. Certainly, it's given rise to an industry of gadgets, from electronic devices promoted as being able to age the wine artificially in just minutes, to charms and crystals that, according to their advocates at least, work in mysterious ways. Nonsense, for the most part. I don't believe in shortcuts, though I do believe that decanting young wines can improve them. Just last night I drank a 2004 vitovska from Vodopivec in the Carso region of Italy, bordering Slovenia. This is an orange wine, that is, a white wine made as if it were a red wine. Instead of removing the grape juice from the skins immediately to prevent any pigment from coloring the juice, it is left to macerate for days or weeks, which gives the wine color and a tannic texture. These wines can be tight and closed just after pouring. Decanting helps not only to open up the wine, but also to warm it slightly if it's fresh from the fridge. Warming a cold white wine, as much as giving it air, can help it to open up. By the way, just as with the aeration gadgets, you will find many fanciful decanters. Some are shaped like snakes or birds. Others are so flat at the bottom that pouring out the last glass can be difficult. Personally, I opt for the strictly functional: I've been using Erlenmeyer flasks at home for years. If you're looking for something just as functional but a little more elegant, Riedel makes a $39 Syrah decanter with a little pouring spout that works just fine for all wines.