hoi polloi wrote:zenaudio wrote:Conspicuous would be the expert.
Is this, from a chemistry perspective, simply due to the fact that some of the alcohol has evaporated?
Anyway, I'm more of a white wine than a red wine guy. The best wines I've tasted are fresh wines off a vineyard in Austria and one served over lunch in a restaurant in Italy. No brands, just made by the house.
i don't think alcohol evaporation occurs at all even after long periods, not even after a whole night of dinking, but i'm not really sure .
i've read that wine's improvement through 'breathing' is because the introduction of oxygen loosens up or softens the tannins, especially in older wines. which is why to further aid the wine in breathing, we swirl our wine glasses. i've even been advised to sip in such a way that you also suck in a stream of tiny air bubbles (more oxygen ) along with the wine. ...which i do
Young tannic (closed) wines would also benefit from some decanting time. You're right in allowing some air interaction with the wine. You might want to try decanting an Old World wine (say French, Spanish or Italian) and drink over a period of several hours (good practice for self-control), and just see how it evolves. Allowing some air in your mouth as you sip and "swirl" the wine would also release some of its characteristics.