Cellaring & Service
Decanting
All Penfolds red table wines benefit from further aging in the bottle and will continue to improve and develop over the years if stored horizontally in a cool place.
They are not stabilized prior to bottling to remove tannins, tartrates and other solids because to do so would also remove some varietal fruit bouquet, flavour and character.
The solids will gradually settle out of the wine as a crust or deposit in a natural self-refining process as it matures in the bottle over the years. However, prior to consumption, it will be necessary to separate the clear wine from the deposit if the full benefit of the aging process is to be enjoyed.
- Related reading
- The Rewards of Patience
- Penfolds Wine Clinics
- Carefully place the bottle in an upright position for some hours before consumption to allow deposits to slide to the bottom of the bottle.
- Obtain a graduated litre jug and place a mark at the 720ml level. Also a good easy-to-operate corkscrew, a damp cleaning cloth and a knife.
- At the appropriate time, cut the capsule on the ridge just before the top and clean off any residual cork with the cloth. Screw the corkscrew well down into the cork but not right through and remove slowly without disturbing the deposit. Clean inside the neck of the bottle to remove any cork particles. Pour the clear wine in a steady continuous stream, without stopping, and with a minimum of surging and glugging into the jug to the 720ml mark which represents the cut-off point, thus leaving behind 30ml disposable deposit.
- The bottle is then rinsed out, the clear wine poured back and left for a half an hour to one hour before serving.
- During the decanting process as described, the wine absorbs oxygen which acts as a stimulant and assists greatly in bringing out the complexities of varietal aroma, flavour and character developed during the bottle aging.
- All Penfolds red wines should be served at a temperature of 20 degrees celsius for best results.
Notes by Max Schubert