# What actually happens when wine breathes? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 2, 2005, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-actually-happens-when-wine-breathes/297401 "2005-04-02T14:29:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![the\_first\_supraliminal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f475e1/32.png) [@the\_first\_supraliminal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_first_supraliminal)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2005, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-actually-happens-when-wine-breathes/297401/1 "2005-04-02T14:29:02Z")
Fine, I did the ritual of letting the wine breathe. I could find no difference. What’s supposed to happen? Does the alcohol collected in the bottle neck dissipate? Does something oxidze? What? ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2005, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-actually-happens-when-wine-breathes/297401/2 "2005-04-02T14:46:26Z")
For one thing, it absorbs oxygen from the air. The process of converting sugar to alcohol and carbon dioxide consumes sugar and oxygen, so by the time it’s wine (or beer or cider or mead…) there isn’t much oxygen left in it. Also, some of the preservatives they put in wine to keep it from becoming vinegar can evaporate out whilst breathing. So, good air in, bad air out. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2005, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-actually-happens-when-wine-breathes/297401/3 "2005-04-02T15:20:39Z")
How sensitive is your nose? Try this: open the wine, pour a little into the bottom of a good wine glass. Take some good, deep whiffs to get the aroma. Now vigorously swirl the wine around in the bottom of the glass for five or ten seconds. Now sniff again. You should be able to detect a noticeable change in smell. ---
**Author:** ![the\_first\_supraliminal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f475e1/32.png) [@the\_first\_supraliminal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_first_supraliminal)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2005, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-actually-happens-when-wine-breathes/297401/4 "2005-04-02T15:28:41Z")
**Chefguy** Did you forget the question? What is it that happens? Do you think, like Ethilrist, that preservatives will go away if you let wine sit a minute? I find that a bit of wishful thinking. Unless you can name a preservative with a near-instantaneous evaporation rate. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2005, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-actually-happens-when-wine-breathes/297401/5 "2005-04-02T16:01:44Z")
> [@the first supraliminal](#): > > **Chefguy** Did you forget the question? What is it that happens? > Do you think, like Ethilrist, that preservatives will go away if you let wine sit a minute? I find that a bit of wishful thinking. Unless you can name a preservative with a near-instantaneous evaporation rate. I didn’t feel it was necessary to answer the question a second time. ---
**Author:** ![NoPretentiousCodename](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/82dd89/32.png) [@NoPretentiousCodename](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NoPretentiousCodename)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2005, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-actually-happens-when-wine-breathes/297401/6 "2005-04-02T16:12:20Z")
As far as the preservatives evaporating, that’s not the point. The point is that with wines that contain sulphur (nearly all wines do in some amount–it occurs naturally in the fermentation process as well as being added to prevent oxidation and to kill microbes), the sulphur may sometimes leave a smell of “matchsticks”. One reason to expose wine to air is to allow that smell to dissipate. So it doesn’t dissipate the preservatives, just the smell. The dissipation of possible sulphur smell and allowing the aroma to begin to evaporate from the surface of the wine are things that happen in the air, but you usually don’t need to breathe the whole bottle of wine to get those effects. Wines that need breathing for any length of time are usually the ones meant to be aged a while before serving, such as a dry red. The aging process allows the tannins of the wine to precipitate out (the “sediment” you sometimes see at the bottom of wine bottles). If the wine isn’t aged well enough, and you can still taste the tannins (somewhat bitter), then a substitute is to breathe it. This mellows the taste, but I am not sure why this happens. If you decide it is appropriate to breathe the wine, doing it in the bottle won’t do much. Transfer it to a decanter or other container which gives the wine more surface area. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Lao](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/2bfe46/32.png) [@Dr.Lao](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Lao)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2005, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-actually-happens-when-wine-breathes/297401/7 "2005-04-02T16:13:11Z")
According to Harold McGee in “On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen” > [@](#): > > It is generally thought thtat the aroma of most wines, and especially young red wines, improves during a period of “breathing” after the bottle is opened. Simply opening the bottle and letting it sit accomplishes next to nothing; the best way to aerate the wine is to pour it into another container. Breathing does help clear the bouquet by allowing some odors and excess sulfur dioxide to escape, but it probably allows some desirable aromas escape as well. The exposure to relatively large concentrations of oxygen can also bring about noticable chemical changes. Young red wines may very well profit from some accelerated oxidation to make up for a short aging period. The best rule is to taste the wine after it is opened; if it is harsh, let it breathe for awhile. In general, the younger the wine, the longer the desirable breathing period. Stories are told of young, intense wines improving for hours before they are served, of century-old wines that turn stale, brown, and watery minutes after being decanted. It sounds like no one really knows, but oxidation is suspected. There doesn’t seem to be much doubt that breathing does something. ---
**Author:** ![FisherQueen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/58f4c7/32.png) [@FisherQueen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FisherQueen)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2005, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-actually-happens-when-wine-breathes/297401/8 "2005-04-02T17:13:00Z")
> [@the first supraliminal](#): > > Does the alcohol collected in the bottle neck dissipate? This line implies to me that you just opened the bottle and let it sit for a bit. If I’m wrong, then never mind. The wine doesn’t get enough air through the narrow bottle neck to make any difference. Open the wine, pour it into the glass, and then let it rest for a while. ---
**Author:** ![the\_first\_supraliminal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f475e1/32.png) [@the\_first\_supraliminal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_first_supraliminal)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2005, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-actually-happens-when-wine-breathes/297401/9 "2005-04-02T18:05:34Z")
**NoPretentiousCodename** , **Dr. Lao** Thanks. Guess the reason I don’t find any difference is that I don’t drink cheap wines. ---
**Author:** ![Mathochist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c89c15/32.png) [@Mathochist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mathochist)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2005, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-actually-happens-when-wine-breathes/297401/10 "2005-04-02T18:22:10Z")
> [@the first supraliminal](#): > > **NoPretentiousCodename** , **Dr. Lao** Thanks. Guess the reason I don’t find any difference is that I don’t drink cheap wines. Um, I’ve found that the best wines also do well with a bit of a breather. As an example, last Christmas when we paired a '73 Saint-Julien with a beef roast I pulled the cork about half an hour before dinner and decanted. A splash to taste when I opened the bottle made sure that it hadn’t gone off, but it really had opened up a lot by the time we sat down. In short: cheap has _nothing_ to do with it. ---
**Author:** ![FilmGeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@FilmGeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FilmGeek)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2005, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-actually-happens-when-wine-breathes/297401/11 "2005-04-02T18:48:12Z")
> [@the first supraliminal](#): > > **NoPretentiousCodename** , **Dr. Lao** Thanks. Guess the reason I don’t find any difference is that I don’t drink cheap wines. Was this a joke? Are you serious? ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2005, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-actually-happens-when-wine-breathes/297401/12 "2005-04-02T21:38:43Z")
I _only_ buy cheap wines. They wheeze. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2005, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-actually-happens-when-wine-breathes/297401/13 "2005-04-02T21:45:33Z")
> [@the first supraliminal](#): > > **NoPretentiousCodename** , **Dr. Lao** Thanks. Guess the reason I don’t find any difference is that I don’t drink cheap wines. :dubious: You’re welcome. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2005, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-actually-happens-when-wine-breathes/297401/14 "2005-04-03T02:43:33Z")
> [@the first supraliminal](#): > > **NoPretentiousCodename** , **Dr. Lao** Thanks. Guess the reason I don’t find any difference is that I don’t drink cheap wines. I don’t see that this has anything to do with it. Indeed, the “cheep wines” (I’m thinking Gallo and Turning Leaf, here) don’t really benefit much from breathing, as they lack the complexity of flavor to really make a difference. BTW, price is a very poor indicator of wine quality; some of the best wines I’ve had are under US$20, and I once had a glass of US$200 dollar-a-bottle wine that was quite nasty (I believe it had turned, but the bloke who purchased the bottle said nothing and I felt it impolite to correct him in front of the rest of the table.) But with a good (red) wine, especially a dry one, breathing makes all the difference, and especially, I’ve noticed, with the beaujolais nouveaus and other “young” wines. Uncorking is insufficient; you must let it rest in the glass or decant it to make any difference, but what a difference it makes. Next time you pop a cork, try drinking the wine straight on, then leaving a glass sit for half an hour (or swirl it for a few minutes) then try it again. It makes a big difference with any decent wine. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2005, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-actually-happens-when-wine-breathes/297401/15 "2005-04-03T03:25:58Z")
> [@Stranger On A Train](#): > > It makes a big difference with any decent wine I may be mistaken, but I think it makes a difference for many (I don’t think I’d agree with any) wines that are Red. I haven’t experienced any white wines that need to breathe. On the other hand, I only occassionally drink whites, so I may not be encountering that sort of white, if there are any. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2005, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-actually-happens-when-wine-breathes/297401/16 "2005-04-03T03:40:49Z")
> [@squeegee](#): > > I may be mistaken, but I think it makes a difference for many (I don’t think I’d agree with any) wines that are Red. I haven’t experienced any white wines that need to breathe. On the other hand, I only occassionally drink whites, so I may not be encountering that sort of white, if there are any. I’m not a steady drinker of whites, either, but from what I know, it doesn’t really make any difference with those. They’re to be served chilled, anyway. My personal opinion about most whites is that they are either grossly oversweetened (rieslings and the like) or pretty flavorless, but that’s just me, and I don’t make fun of anyone else for their tastes…even if they are drinking “pink” wine. 😃 Letting a bottle of Two Buck Chuck breathe isn’t going to help it out, though. Ditto with box wines and the like; though they are drinkable, they just aren’t complex enough (by design) to warrant decanting. I’ve never had a wine taste worse after breathing, though, so it doesn’t hurt. I just laugh at the people who open a bottle and let it breathe through the neck, however. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![Wallenstein](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b5a626/32.png) [@Wallenstein](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wallenstein)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2005, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-actually-happens-when-wine-breathes/297401/17 "2005-04-03T04:08:11Z")
If it were just a case of getting oxygen to the wine it would make sense to decant the wine and shake it to expose as much wine as possible to the air…? Three main reasons why people think wine tastes better after being left to “breathe”: **1) Human suggestibility** - we’re told it will taste better if left to “breathe”, and sure enough that’s what seems to happen. All the more so if we’re told by “experts”. **2) The power of ritual** - by letting the wine “breathe” you build anticipation, thereby increasing the sensory level of the whole experience. **3) Wine temperature** - the one thing that _does_ make a significant difference to the taste of wine (especially red wine) is the temperature at which it is drunk. This is particularly true of more complex, older reds. - There is a big difference in taste between wine served at 60-65 farenheit and 70-75 farenheit. The warmer the wine, the more aroma is released. I personally find that cheap wine tastes better warmer (the few flavours that are there need heat to be released), whereas more expensive wine is better somewhat cooler as it can become unbalanced if it’s too warm. - Leaving wine to “breathe” allows it more time to come up to room temp (70-75F), which means more aroma, and hence a perception of “better” taste. Typically people will take a bottle of wine from the cellar, or a cupboard, where it is cooler. If it’s drunk right away it will be cooler than wine that has been left a while to heat up. So… it’s a combination of all three that makes us think wine needs to “breathe”, but actually it’s very little (ie. nothing!) to do with oxygen and tannins etc. ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2005, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-actually-happens-when-wine-breathes/297401/18 "2005-04-03T04:14:04Z")
> [@](#): > > Letting a bottle of Two Buck Chuck breathe isn’t going to help it out, tho I’m not going to denigrate Charles Shaw, it’s (surprisingly) decent for the money. My take is that there’s a certain class of bargain _and_ non-bargain wines that are ready to drink out of the bottle. I’m not an oenophile, but my guess would be that this is a “design decision” by the wine maker, to release wines that don’t need to age or breathe, or as little of either as possible. As you said, a matter of complexity. I agree with your take on whites, although some Chardonnays can be worthwhile, at least as a change of pace. I’ve never let one breathe, though. ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2005, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-actually-happens-when-wine-breathes/297401/19 "2005-04-03T04:18:22Z")
**e-logic** , I couldn’t disagree with your points more. I’ve often brought a bottle out of storage, and left it to sit on the counter for a couple of hours waiting for mealtime or whatever. Later, I opened it, tasted (“woo! We better let that breathe!”), decanted it and let it set 30 minutes. The difference was very noticable, with no temperature change. ---
**Author:** ![Wallenstein](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b5a626/32.png) [@Wallenstein](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wallenstein)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2005, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-actually-happens-when-wine-breathes/297401/20 "2005-04-03T04:24:17Z")
> [@squeegee](#): > > **e-logic** , I couldn’t disagree with your points more. I’ve often brought a bottle out of storage, and left it to sit on the counter for a couple of hours waiting for mealtime or whatever. Later, I opened it, tasted (“woo! We better let that breathe!”), decanted it and let it set 30 minutes. The difference was very noticable, with no temperature change. In that case it’s more likely to be residual sulpher dioxide left from the production process - this will dissipate with a few mins exposure to air and will soften the aroma and taste of the wine. Seriously, the whole thing about tannins and oxygen etc is an urban myth - if the goal was to get air to the wine you’d see waitors in posh restuarants shaking the stuff in a cocktail-shaker; the fact that they don’t suggests that it’s not that important… 😉 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-actually-happens-when-wine-breathes/297401.md?page=2)