To decant or not.......

   Like most issues regarding wine, decanting is  highly debated, and also like most issues regarding wine comes down to a matter of preference.

decanting  present participle of de·cant (Verb)

Verb

1. Gradually pour (liquid, typically wine or a solution) from one container into another, esp. without disturbing the sediment.

  Why decant?
     
              There are mainly two reasons to decant a wine, the first to separate the wine from any sediment that is in the bottle.  Less common nowadays due to fining and filtering procedures, bottled wine can still develop sediment over time, usually caused from tannins, the sediment can impart some bitter notes to the wine if it makes it to your glass.Decanting for sediment is the process of slowly pouring the wine into another vessel (decanter image) while watching for the sediment and stopping when it gets close to the bottles neck, it can also be done in collaboration with a screen and funnel type aerator image.
              Decanting is also used to help wines bring out their flavors and aromas, although this is the controversial part, My own non scientific research has proven this out, especially with bigger tannic wines, whose flavors and aromas are sometimes muted early on.My wife, being a lover of pitchers, vases and glasses, had purchased decanters early on in our wine journey, before they became the staple they are now.
              I used to only decant older wines or bigger tannic more expensive reds until one night I poured myself a glass of Franciscan cabernet, the $19 bottle this one, after taking a sip I left it on the counter to take a phone call and forgot about it for an hour. When I came back the wine had changed noticeably for the better,  just like the more expensive wines who knew :) . and since then if I have time I will decant almost all my wines. I have used the funnel type aerator above into a glass and noticed the wines nose improved significantly, but not as much on the palate, and also have poured wine rapidly from one glass to another back and forth to aerate quickly with mixed results. Ultimately it seems to me that for the palate the wine needs the time to open up. There is also a small group that recommends putting wine in a blender to aerate it, but I haven't tried that one yet.
           I have heard the argument that some have made, that they prefer to follow a wines progression as it opens up and evolves and that is fine, but prefer to start following that progression from a better place.