We previously looked at the best whisky decanters, in this article we are going to check out our favorites from the best wine decanters available today.
Contents
Benefits of decanting
We are often asked why we recommend decanting and this can be simple things like, ‘What is it?’ and ‘What does it do?’. So, let’s start by answering these then we can jump straight into the best wine decanters together!
Decanting is the act of pouring wine from a bottle into a larger vessel – the decanter – which you would then use to serve your guests. When you gently transfer young wines to the decanter they absorb oxygen, opening up the delicate aromas and flavor profile. For older wines, decanting allows you to leave sediment behind so your special bottle is presented at its best. Decanting isn’t just for reds either; older whites can benefit too. Unlike carafes, decanters come with stoppers to keep the flavors preserved for longer.
Improving red wines
If you are new to red wine or are trying to introduce someone to it then the typical astringency on the palate may put you off. You may have tried a red straight from your wine rack in the past and found the aftertaste to be unpleasant and led you to stay on whites. Well we recommend you try a decanter from our selection below, the aerating will give you a whole new experience!
Choosing the best wine decanters
The best wine decanters, with their long, narrow necks and sometimes intricate interiors are generally handwash only. Luckily there is a plethora of cleaning equipment available that makes this important task a breeze. We will cover these in an upcoming article. But, as a start we recommend this set.
If you are looking to quickly get some oxygen into your wine, without having to impress guests, then consider a dedicated wine aerator.
The Best Wine Decanters
Household Decanter
If you’re looking for something sophisticated yet timeless then the Household Decanter fits the bill perfectly. Its classic design makes it a great decorative piece for your home bar while being perfectly functional. This decanter is made from lead-free crystal so you can be confident that your wine will be free from this toxic heavy metal.
It has a 27 oz capacity which will take a standard bottle of wine with generous space to spare. The stopper seal is also food grade material and it makes this decanter satisfyingly airtight. Other aspects that we like include the wide neck which makes it easy to clean – something that some of the more over-designed products fail on. The grooved spherical stopper looks fantastic and has a good feel in the hand.
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BTaT Classic Wine decanter
Our first BTaT ‘Brew To A Tea’ decanter in our guide is this graceful, lead-free borosilicate glass affair with smoked glass stopper. It’s perfect for people on a budget who want their decanter to look like it commands a higher price tag. This vessel has a very healthy 60 oz capacity which allows you to transfer a large sized bottle of delicious Cabernet Sauvignon and for it to be thoroughly aerated in a matter of hours. Other benefits include the surprisingly lightweight heft and superb spill-free spout that makes lifting and pouring simplicity itself. The BTaT comes complete with a presentation box that doubles as a storage container.
Luxbe Wine Decanter Aerator
The Luxbe decanter is a clean design with a wide, flat-bottomed base that gives it superb stability. There’s nothing worse than knocking over a decanter of top-quality red onto a carpet or soft furnishings. Well, ok that might be a bit of hyperbole, but we’ve all been there and felt the pain!
The Luxbe is also a great decanter to use, its stature and ample neck make transferring your wine easy and we are never worried that we might spill any. It’s one of the few decanters that you can actually connect the bottle to directly, removing the need to have steady hands. Innovation like this always gets extra points from us.
This decanter measures 7” high and a little under 7” across. It’s made of lead-free crystal too for health reasons. The polished metal cap is delightfully simple and performs well, keeping the wine’s aromas in. Each Luxbe decanter is handblown which is a big selling point for us. This is one decanter that will suit most people’s décor too, it’s subtle and attractive without being garish.
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>>Read also our guide to the best freestanding wine coolers
YouYah Iceberg Wine Decanter Set
YouYah’s Iceberg decanter is one of those rare breeds that make you look more than once. In its neck is a clever stainless-steel filtering device. This not only removes sediment and impurities but also reduces the aeration time considerably. As the wine runs through the tiny holes it tracks onto the inside of the decanter, flourishes to the base absorbing oxygen as it goes. And it’s the base of the decanter that draws us in for a second glance.
The YouYah decanter gets its name from the attractive sculpted iceberg that looks fantastic and increases the surface area that speeds up aeration. When it comes to serving, the filtering device effectively does a second pass further improving the drinking experience.
The high-quality lead-free crystal is matched by its food-grade stainless-steel filter and silicone gel stopper. The YouYah decanter is supplied with a handy stand that stores your decanter upended to keep it dust-free and aid drying.
BTaT Wine Decanter (spherical)
There’s a lot to love about the BTaT decanter. From its staggering 52 oz capacity that will amply hold two standard bottles – or one with great aeration volume – to its easy-pour spout we are confident that you will enjoy using it. The BTaT is a well-made decanter with a reliable thickness of lead-free crystal glass that will last years past its warranty. The internal base design is unusual and helps to further increase the surface area allowing for maximum aeration.
This decanter is the first in our best wine decanters list that comes with its own cleaning tool. This does a good job of removing sediment and residues from the otherwise awkward internal angles. The BTaT is supplied in a sturdy box with gold foil decoration that would look good as a gift and to store it in between uses. The food grade stainless steel stopper adds to the overall aesthetic when placed in the sloping neck. Dimensions-wise, this decanter is 6” in diameter across the base and 12” tall.
Rabbit Super-Aerating Decanter
The Rabbit decanter takes an innovative step towards giving you an easy time of transferring from your favorite bottles. This is a hand-blown crystal decanter that comes with a crystal glass spray funnel and screen to filter fine sediment. In practice the funnel and screen do wonders for aerating and flavor enhancing your wines. We love watching the wine streaming down the inside wall of the decanter!
Other user-friendly features are that the funnel and screen can be cleaned in your dishwasher. The decanter still has to be cleaned the old-fashioned way, however. The Rabbit Super-Aerating decanter has an intended capacity around 25 oz which is aimed at a standard bottle. You don’t want to overfill decanters even though they look like they have a much bigger capacity because that will defeat the object of giving them room to breathe.
Crystal Glass Duck Decanter
Wine drinking need not be a stuffy venture; there are many options you can go for to express your more playful side. So, we’ve talked about the benefits of decanters, how the aeration improves flavors and palatability. Now we can take this as read and look at decanters with a broader range of designs.
What better way to start this than with the fantastic Crystal Glass Duck Decanter? Made of lead-free crystal with food-grade, textured, stainless steel decoration, this awesome bird will delight your guests. It would even make a great gift for the person in your life who has everything. The Duck decanter will always raise a smile with its playful appearance.
It has a 35 oz capacity which is great for standard wine bottles. It measures a little over 10.5” tall and 6” wide and 7.5” long.
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Bohemia Crystal Safari Gold Decanter
The Bohemia Crystal Safari Gold decanter is a beautiful, and opulent-looking, piece of barware. Blending classic, clean lines with 24 karat Gold decorative bands; this a thing of beauty. Crafted from lead-free crystal in the Czech Republic, this decanter is attractive and supremely functional.
It has a 27 oz capacity with an ample neck for easy filling. This decanter forms part of the Safari Gold range with matching glasses.
English Pewter Company Majestic Stag Head Decanter
If you’re looking for the most extravagant and sumptuous-looking decanters then this fabulous piece from Sheffield, England will charm you. It’s handmade by craftspeople who specialise in the best quality glass and crystal-ware. The stunning stag’s head is solid pewter granting this decanter a great heft and quality feel. The pewter band at its base features the English Pewter Company touchmark, further highlighting its authenticity and class.
The Stag Head decanter has a suggested capacity of 20 oz for your finest wines and we are reluctant to put anything other than the best in it!
As a gift to the wine drinker in your life, the Stag Head decanter comes inside a rather attractive cream and black presentation box and, of course, a fine velvet bag.
![English Pewter Company Stunning 20oz Majestic Stag Deer Head Crystal Decanter [STAG205]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/61M9ahbrwCL._SL160_.jpg "11 Best Wine Decanters 16")
Alpina iFavine iSommelier decanter
Do you always find you’re dashing about? Leaving things to the last minute? Then, stop and take a look at this electronic aerating decanter from Alpina. While our preference is to allow wine to breathe like nature intended, sometimes we can all get caught out. This unusual iFavine iSommelier decanter uses diffusion through its central tube to cut hours of aeration time down to seconds.
Indeed, this product says that for every minute spent in this decanter is the equivalent of an hour of regular standing! So, you find yourself at work remembering you have an important home party to organize that night and your bottle is still corked? Stress not – simply pop it into the iSommelier for a few minutes when you get back.
The decanter’s 25 oz capacity allows your wine to be infused with 90% purified oxygen as it actively filters particulates out of the atmosphere. We were pleasantly surprised to find that this has no discernible difference compared with using your standard decanter (although some with a more sophisticated palate may be able to tell you differently!)
We happily recommend you consider the 2015 innovation award-winning iSommelier for those tricky occasions when you need a beverage aerated fast.
Jay Strongwater Porter Elephant
At the upper end of most people’s budgets you will see stunningly attractive pieces like this decanter from the Jay Strongwater barware collection. The elephant head with trunk carried aloft is crafted from zinc alloy and is a beautifully hand-enameled that looks stylish and extravagant. And who doesn’t like elephants? Especially sculpted elephants that are finished in 14 karat gold with hand-set Swarovski crystals? Its stopper is gilded too and fits snuggly in the optic glass effect body.
While the materials are specially crafted in Poland the Jay Strongwater decanter is made right here in the States; Rhode Island to be exact. Its 4.25” wide and fairly tall at 14.5”.
If your budget stretches this far then we would recommend this amazing decanter – it lifts any home bar and will definitely draw the appreciative eye of your friends and family.
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Dragon Decanter
Our ultimate entry and what we think of as the last word in decanter opulence comes the Dragon Decanter! Words almost failed us when we first opened the box and saw this gorgeous barware in all its crystal glory. The workmanship, craft and sheer presence of the Dragon Decanter is eye-watering.
Comprising thick-walled, 100% lead-free crystal this is solidly made as you might expect and will easily take a few (little!) knocks. The Dragon Decanter should last you a lifetime and give you thrills with every pour! No guide to the best wine decanters is complete without this beautiful Dragon Decanter.
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