Living Wine

• Wine enthusiasts call wine "alive" because of the chemical reactions that continue over its lifetime. Exposure to air, known as aeration or "letting the wine breathe," hastens one of these reactions. As oxygen in the air interacts with the wine, it enhances the complex flavors. Other compounds in the wine will evaporate on exposure to air, reducing the harsh tannin character. Drinking red wine before it's properly aerated can lead to a tannic mouthful without the rich flavors for which you're hoping.

How to Aerate

• Although many people let their wine breathe by simply removing the cork from the bottle, this isn't the most effective method. Only a small amount of the wine's surface area is exposed to the air if the wine is left in the bottle. A more effective alternative is to decant the wine or simply to let it breathe in the glass. This method exposes more of the wine to the oxygen, speeding the aerating process.

Watching the Clock

• The length of time a wine needs to breathe can vary, but for most reds around a half hour should be sufficient. The effect should begin to be noticeable within a few minutes. The younger and more tannic the wine, the longer it will take to "open up" and release all its flavors and aromas.

Overdoing It

• Although a little aeration is required to bring out the character of most reds, too much can be harmful. After a day or so, the wine will begin to develop sour, vinegary flavors or start to smell "off." For some wines, long aeration is too much. Older reds need only a few minutes exposed to the air, although they should still be decanted in order to minimize the sediment in the wine.