We decant wine before tasting to introduce air to the wine.
We decant wine before tasting to introduce air to the wine. This interaction between oxygen and wine creates a chain reaction that makes the wine taste better than when it was first opened. But, of course, if you don’t have a decanter, you can always pour off a glass of wine, reseal the bottle, and give it a good shake. The oxygen molecules will take care of softening the wine inside the bottle. (But never use this method with aged wines.)