Decanters - old-fashioned and unnecessary or a fabulous addition to your home bar? I think you know which camp we fall into here at Muddled HQ.
History
The decanter has a long history dating back more than 2,000 years. Most commonly used for serving red wine, decanters allow for the removal of sediment and increase the amount of contact the wine has with the air, allowing it to breathe and its flavours to develop.
In Ancient Rome, wine was transported in large clay jars known as pithoi while smaller, more decorative versions of the form were used at the table. These were often made from glass but following the fall of the Roman Empire, the practice of wine decanting virtually died out.
It wasn’t until the Renaissance that glass vessels began to-emerge, thanks the development of new glassmaking techniques in Italy. By the 17th century, these techniques had spread to northern Europe. In England, they key figure was George Ravenscroft. He lived in Venice for a number of years and on his return to England in the 1660s began importing European glass and crystal. He went on to found his own glassworks in London in 1673 where he perfected the process of adding lead oxide to glass and began producing serving bottle and decanters for wealthy clients.
Decanters come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes depending their intended use. The original purpose of the decanter was to serve wine at the table once it had been decanted from the bottle or barrel. These were open-necked forms. It wasn’t until the second half of the 18th century that stoppers were introduced, allowing for the storage of spirits. A stopper minimises contact with the air and preserves the liquid within.
Early decanters were often a simple globe and shaft shape, evolving into more complex forms such as cruciform or octagonal. Other common shapes include the mallet, the classic shouldered shape with a ringed neck popular in the early 19th century and the ship’s decanters which had a wide base to prevent it from falling over. Claret jugs began to appear from around 1800. With a handle and pouring lip, they were used often used for serving port and sherry as well as well.
Blown glass decanters often had labels etched or gilded onto them indicating their contents but this wasn’t possible with the cut glass or crystal and led to the development of metal decanter labels.
By the middle of the 19th century, the decanter was at the height of its popularity. The traditional globe and shaft shape became popular again as did the tantalus, a lockable wooden stand containing three square decanters. Engraving, and later etching, were the most common forms of decoration.
Decanters began to fall out of fashion middle of the 20th century although there have been some striking modern iterations. Dartington, under Frank Thrower, produced some terrific designs in the 70s and 80s, including one of our absolute favourites, The Classic.
Why use a decanter today?
Apart from the obvious benefits of aerating wine, decanters are a practical way to bring some personal style to your home bar. Whether you're a whisky connoisseur or enjoy a glass of sherry before dinner, you will find something to suit you.
Apart from the way they look, there's an inherent pleasure in using a decanter. Like mixing a cocktail, pouring a drink from a decanter brings a sense of ceremony to the occasion.
While we've curated some gorgeous decanter and glass sets in our shop, we love to mix and match. That might mean putting together pieces from the same era like some of the cut crystal or sleek midcentury designs in the gallery above or collecting decanters of all shapes, sizes and ages just because you love them.
They look wonderful displayed together on a side table or shelf. Corral them on a tray protect your surfaces from spills and bring a sense of cohesion to your collection. The picture at the top of this post shows Christen's personal collection which includes Georgian, Edwardian and more modern decanters with classic labels designed by Robert Welch in the 1960s.
We have a wide range of decanters available in our shop now and lots more beautiful examples which we'll be listing over the next fews weeks. If there's something particular you're looking for then do let us know and we'll try to source it for you.
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