Does ice wine need to breathe?

Answer 1

Wines have been bottles and closed to the outside world for usually a period of 4 months up to 8 years in some cases and decades or centuries with some aged wines. After that much time in the bottle the wine needs a bit of time to unfurl and "open" or let the esthers and aromas develop and expand. The flavor components will become more broad and less compact after having some air or some time to "breath."

Answer 2

Simply uncorking a bottle and then leaving it for an hour will have very little effect on the end flavour. However, when you decante red wine into a different container, lots of air gets mixed in and then wonderful things start to happen. Over a period of a couple of hours the tannins and other chemicals react with the newly introduced oxygen to mellow the sharp edges and produce a softer, rounder more lovely wine. Really light wines probably don't need this and really old wines (20 years ore more in the bottle) don't need it either, but your average bottle of plonk from the local vintners will definitely need decanting so that it can breathe. Try it for yourself. Most red wines really are remarkably better once they have been left to breathe for a while.

Answer 3

Red wine needs to breathe because of chemicals in it called tannins. These tannins are a good thing during the maturing of the wine but make it bitter to the taste. They oxidize fairly quickly after the wine is exposed to air. Letting the wine sit in the glass for a while after opening allows the tannins to oxidize thus reducing the bitterness of the wine. This sitting in an open glass after being poured is called breathing.

Answer 4

When a wine sits in a bottle for an extended period of time, the fruit flavors and aromas can become muted. Letting a wine breathe allows it to 'open up' and release the smells and tastes the winemaker intended. Blind taste tests have demonstrated that the value of letting wines "breathe" has been greatly exaggerated. It can even harm some older wines.

Answer 5

Blind taste tests suggest that red wine does not need to breathe before serving it.

Answer 6

Yes, all wines benefit from breathing.

Answer 7

NO!