Wine decanters serve a beautiful purpose. The artistic beauty of wine decanters have been enjoyed by generations and are as much works of art as they are wine accessories. Blown glass decanters feature shapes reminiscent of large bubbles, candle flames and tear drops. “U”s and long, slender, curved, birdlike necks sometimes tower up to a foot over the standard wine bottle. 
Better decanters are perfectly balanced to enhance pouring and to prevent spillage.
Wine decanters are not only beautiful but functional, as well. There has been little change in the science behind the decanter since the 18th century when glassworkers introduced the stopper. Originally the decanter was designed to allow the sediment to decant or separate from the liquid. Modern wine enthusiasts decant wine for the purpose of aeration, a somewhat controversial and often debated process of allowing the wine to aerate or breathe. It is thought to be more helpful with tannic wines but the perceived softening of the wine could be due to oxidation induced chemical compound alteration rather than from allowing the wine to breathe. Ones school of thought is that the shape of the glass changes the drinker’s perception of the wine thereby changing the taste of the beverage. In fact, many people believe decanting can actually diminish the quality of delicate wines.
I prefer to argue occum’s razor. Wine simply tastes better if it is served beautifully and experienced as an occasion whether it is totally placebo effect or only partially placebo effect, most people agree that the placebo effect is present. And just the placebo effect you get from the aesthetic value of a stylish decanter far outweighs the insignificant possibility of damage to the wine.
Wine decanters are a valuable source of history. Glass blowing came into being with the Phoenicians about 50 B.C. and over that short period of years the art has progressed quickly with major advances such as lead glass, also called lead crystal and flint glass being made as late as the mid 20th century. Lead glass has increased refractive properties that causes the glass to have more sparkles and appear more brilliant as light passes through it. Glass blowers over the centuries have blown great works of art and wonderfully functional artistic accessories. There are many collectable wine decanters. A recent eBay search yielded ten pages of results ranging from a 1950′s era bargain for under $3. to a pair of French Glass Enamel decanters for under $3500. Riedel Crystal is notable for producing some of the most visually surprising and asthetic models. In 1678 Johann Christian Riedel started trading in glass. Glass became a family tradition that eventually let to the founding of the world famous Austrian company. Riedel offers models ranging from ever popular $300. and up hand blown wine decanters to expertly machine made $30. models. Not all of these wine decanters will go up in value but all of them will be an added and attractive treasure to your home bar, counter top or display case. Magnum decanters hold twice the standard 750 ml so you can serve more guests faster or entertain longer without interruption.
