It’s always worth decanting a wine, irrespective of the cost. The only exception is when it comes to a very old wine –  its delicate structure may disintegrate when exposed to too much air, so it’s best served straight from the bottle (and poured slowly).

Otherwise, letting the air at a wine before you drink it will get the complex mix of flavours and aromas working harder. It’s not unlike the way a good casserole becomes a great casserole the day after – when the different ingredients involved have had more time to develop. You don’t need any special equipment to decant, and there’s no great skill involved.

Follow the guidelines below to make the most of your wine. Decant your wine – ideally, for at least an hour before you want to drink, but if you just have 10 minutes before your pizza’s ready, it’s still worthwhile. Either buy a decanter (you don’t have to spend much), or use any good-sized glass container – a jug or a vase works fine. Pour gently and steadily down one side. Leave to sit somewhere cool until it’s ready to drink. Remember you can a decant full-bodied white wine, too – especially if it has spent a long time in the fridge. Corks or caps? We believe screw caps are the way to go, even for top quality wines destined for ageing. Screw caps can help eliminate faulty wines, the most common being ‘corked’. A corked bottle will have a distinctive wet, mouldy odour and lack of fruit character when tasted.