14/10/19

How to Wash and Clean Decanters and Wine Glasses

Perhaps the hardest part of decanting is actually looking after them: because of their shapes and fragility, decanters can be tricky to clean. The same goes for wine glasses, so we've created a guide for both.

You probably read our previous Wine Decanting Guide, in which we talked about how and when you should decant wine, and also why we created two wine decanters with Jancis: one for old and another for young wines.

But perhaps the hardest part of decanting is actually looking after them: because of their shapes and fragility, decanters can be tricky to clean. The same goes for wine glasses, so we've created a guide for both:

THE JANCIS ROBINSON COLLECTION CARE

Decanters

Unlike our glasses, which should always be washed in the dishwasher, the decanters should be washed by hand and dried with a lint-free cloth.

1. First things first, always empty any wine residue. If you've had too much fun at your dinner party and can't wash it straight away, at least fill the decanter with warm water and leave it overnight.

2. Pour warm water into the decanter and swirl it around (like you would with wine in our young wine decanter) and empty it down the sink. Do this until it's more or less clean. Should there be some stubborn stains, Jancis Robinson recommends using a denture cleaner solution, if you have some handy!

3. Arguably the most important part to keeping your decanter sparkly clean is polishing it properly, using our large Microfibre Polishing cloth (intentionally very large so that you don't touch the glass with your hands). Some would recommend polishing whilst steaming the glass over some hot water.

Wine Glasses

Wash your wine glass and your water glass on the top rack of the dishwasher ensuring that there is space between each glass. Ensure that you are using the proper detergents for your machine and, where relevant, water softening agents.

The products in this collection are made with lead-free glass which makes them resistant to clouding. If you do notice clouding on your glass then you will need to wash with water-softening or glass-specific detergents.

When polishing the wine glass it is important to hold the glass by the foot with one hand, while polishing the bowl with the other.