How-To: Tell if a Wine Needs to "Open"

Oxygen is the bane and boon of wine. Oxidation or aeration increases flavors, but also allows volatile flavors to escape the wine. Among some wine drinkers, there is discussion on letting a wine "breathe". It will allow layers of complex flavors to meld, creating a better balance, but there is no exact science to the perfect amount of time it will need to open. The basic guideline is if you have a red wine with strong tannins, decant the wine and let it stand for a while, testing frequently. Once the wine seems like its an ideal flavor, either serve it our stopper it for serving soon.