Hyperdecanting: the Best Wine in a Minute, the Impatient Philistine
I’ve only seen one episode of HBO’s Succession, but that doesn’t mean I’m not participating in the morning succession discourse on Monday, especially when the episode presents an eerily familiar scenario in the workplace or, in the case of last night’s episode, food or hack drinks.
I don’t know much about the show, but I feel like I like Connor based solely on the fact that he gave his grumpy rich dad a starter, as well as the slightly upset manner in which he says, “You’re not overheating. ?? His pretty blonde sister, her eyes wild and full of disbelief.
Adding wine to the blender “softens the tannins” and “enhances the aroma”, Connor says, allowing the wine to “age five years in 10 seconds.” It sounds hyperbolic, but the hyperdecision isn’t something Connor’s brain spawned.
Hyperdecanting is not new. The technique was invented – or at least introduced to the public – by Nathan Myhrvold, a former Microsoft CTO and principal author of Modern Kitchen. In a 2011 article he wrote for Bloomberg Businessweek, Myhrvold describes the process:
Wine lovers have known for centuries that decanting wine before serving often improves its taste. Whatever the basic process, the traditional decanter is a rather miserable means of accomplishing it. Several years ago, I discovered that I could achieve much better results using a regular kitchen blender. I simply pour in the wine, let the frappe sit at maximum power for 30-60 seconds, and then let the foam subside (which happens quickly) before serving. I call this “overdecant”.
In his article, Myhrvold suggests creating your own blind tasting test to “determine with scientific rigor whether your tasters prefer hyper-decanted wine.” Several people have documented their overdecanting efforts, including four-hour author Tim Ferris, a hyperdecanter using a hand blender:
Wine lovers at Vinum Vita have tasted it too and at least seem to agree that it changes the taste of the wine.
Not wanting to be left on the sidelines (and wanting to justify myself to drink wine before noon), I decided to let him tickle me (l). I went down to the corner store, grabbed a cheap ($ 10) bottle of Cabernet and poured a glass before pouring about half the bottle into my Instant Pot blender. Then I mixed the wine for half a minute at maximum speed, letting the bubbles burst, and poured a glass of over-decanted wine.
Since I was at home alone, I had no one to do a blind taste test, but even knowing which glass was which, it was very difficult for me to determine any differences between them. The blended wine could have been a little smoother and a little less harsh, but I was so insecure that I kept jumping between the two samples, never coming to a firm conclusion, getting a little more overhanging by the second (I didn’t eat today).
I don’t know much about all the chemical reactions that take place when wine is aged, but Wine Enthusiast says it’s little more than being exposed to oxygen quickly, although oxidation is a big part of that. Is this a quick way to open wine? Sure, and I think he toned down some of the harsher aspects of the freshly opened bottle, but I’m not sure he aged my wine “five years in 10 seconds.” (Although I’m not sure if this shitty bottle of wine would do much good after aging for five years. It was very cheap after all.)