Decanting Wines and Basket for Serving Wine

Decanting consists of gently pouring from the bottles, inclining them slightly, any liquor that leaves a sediment; on this depends the clear appearance of an old wine. Well-decantered liquors present a beautiful limpid color through the decanter, contributing greatly to the enjoyment of drinking a glass of good wine.

Basket for Serving Wines.—In well-appointed houses the fine wines are decantered before dinner and poured into cut-glass decanters. A simpler way is to lay the bottles in a small wicker basket, fastening them in with two strings; but in order to carry out this precaution it will be absolutely necessary to have the bottle laid in the basket several hours before putting it on the table, so that however little sediment the wine may contain it will settle at the bottom of the bottle. It is unnecessary to add that the basket must not be violently shaken and that the wine be poured out with the greatest care.