Definition: Decanting

The process of transferring wine from a bottle that has been stored upright into a decanter. This should be done slowly, in one go, without agitating the liquid. The aim is to separate the sediment (bottom or lees) resulting from the wine's maturation, leaving it in the decanted bottle. For all other uses of the carafe, such as aerating or oxygenating the wine, this is no longer decanting, but rather decanting, transferring or pouring the wine into a carafe.