6 Red Wines Worth Decanting This Fall

There is something about the first cool nights of fall that sends me straight back to red wine. Dinner gets a little richer, the candles come out a little earlier, and suddenly putting a beautiful decanter on the table feels exactly right.

And, despite what years of slightly intimidating wine culture may have suggested, decanting doesn't need to be complicated—or reserved for a very expensive bottle. Many young, full-bodied reds simply taste better after they've had a little room to breathe. The fruit opens up, the tannins soften, and all of those flavors that seemed tightly packed into the bottle begin to show themselves.

I tend toward reds with some weight and generosity to them, particularly at this time of year. So these six lean in that direction: rich without being clumsy, interesting without being difficult, and ranging from roughly $25 to $75 a bottle.

This may be my favorite value in the group. Barossa Shiraz can be very big, and this one certainly isn't shy, but it has enough freshness and structure to keep all that dark fruit from becoming too much. Think blackberry, blackcurrant, pepper and spice, with a little earthiness underneath it all. At 15% alcohol, it's substantial, but there's more going on here than sheer size.

It also happens to be one of those wines that feels tailor-made for fall food: short ribs, roast pork, sausages, mushrooms—or something slowly cooking in the oven all afternoon. James Suckling gave the 2023 94 points; Wine Spectator and Wine Advocate both gave it 92.

Give it: About 45 minutes in the decanter.
Find it: Usually around $25–30. Shop Torbreck Woodcutter's Shiraz

Petite Sirah doesn't seem to get quite the attention Cabernet does, which is a shame because it can be wonderful—dark, plush and seriously satisfying. This one has blackberry, blueberry and boysenberry flavors with spice underneath and enough tannin to make decanting genuinely useful rather than merely decorative.

What I especially like is that it manages to be full-bodied without feeling overdone. James Suckling gave it 94 points, while Wine Enthusiast gave it 92.

This would be a very good bottle to open with steak, mushroom risotto, braised beef or almost anything involving a cast-iron pan.

Give it: An hour, or even 90 minutes.
Find it: Around $35–40, depending on the retailer. Shop Stags' Leap Petite Sirah

Malbec is one of those wines I come back to when I want something rich but don't necessarily want Cabernet. Catena Alta is a particularly good example of why.

The grapes come from high-altitude vineyards in Mendoza, and the wine combines all that dark plum, blackberry and cassis character you want from Malbec with violets, pepper and a little minerality. It's plush, but there's acidity underneath it, so it doesn't feel heavy. Vinous awarded the 2022 95 points and described the wine as bringing together the generous character of Luján de Cuyo with the freshness of the Uco Valley.

This may be the easiest crowd-pleaser of the six. Put a roast in the oven, make something involving potatoes, open this and you're more or less done.

Give it: Around 45 minutes.
Find it: Roughly $40–50. Shop Catena Alta Malbec 2022

This is the bottle for anyone who likes a red with a little wildness to it.

Gigondas sits in the southern Rhône, not far from Châteauneuf-du-Pape, and this blend of Grenache, Mourvèdre, Syrah and Cinsault has plenty of ripe black fruit but also lavender, herbs, licorice, spice and that slightly savory quality that makes Rhône wines so good with food. Wine Spectator gave the 2023 93 points; Wine Advocate and Vinous both gave it 92.

It's full-bodied, but it isn't just about fruit. There's structure and earthiness here too, which makes it particularly good with lamb, braised meat, roast vegetables or a big platter of mushrooms.

And this is one where I really would use the decanter. It changes noticeably as it sits.

Give it: At least an hour; two won't hurt it.
Find it: About $60. Shop Château de Saint Cosme Gigondas 2023

At the top of our price range, this is the bottle I'd choose when dinner feels a little more special.

Heitz is one of Napa's classic Cabernet producers, and what I like about this wine is that it doesn't confuse richness with sweetness. There is plenty of black cherry, blackberry and currant, along with violet, cocoa, herbs and a little graphite, but the wine has real structure and freshness underneath it. Decanter gave the 2021 an extraordinary 99 points, while Wine Spectator and James Suckling both rated it 94.

It's unquestionably a full-bodied Cabernet, but an elegant one—and still young enough that a decanter earns its place on the table.

This would be the bottle for a beautiful roast, a very good steak, or simply an evening when you've decided dinner deserves a little ceremony.

Give it: An hour or more.
Find it: Roughly $65–75. Shop Heitz Cellar Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2021

There really isn't a magic number of minutes.

Pour the wine into the decanter, taste it, and taste it again half an hour later. That's actually part of the fun. Some wines seem to relax almost immediately; others keep changing throughout dinner.

And while an old, rare bottle may require a bit more care, these are young wines. You're not performing surgery. You're giving them some air.

Which seems like a very good excuse to set the table, put something in the oven and open a bottle a little earlier than strictly necessary.