Does anybody know what the point of decanting is? Most modern wines have been so heavily fined and filtered that they just don't need it. It has been decades since I last found any sediment in everyday wine - and certainly nothing to compare with the big black beetle that once plopped out of a bottle of Spanish red in the mid-Seventies. Therehas been the odd tasteless, harmless tartrate crystal crust on the bottom of corks and bottles, but that's been about it.

No, the only wines worth decanting are those that are built to age in bottle. Time encourages fancy tannin and extract-laden clarets, red burgundies, red rhônes and vintage and crusted ports to precipitate flecks of bitter, black, astringent sediment. Apart from the bits getting stuck in your teeth, any sludge twirling around in your glass will muddy the wine and make it taste flat and earthy, so these fine old reds do need decanting. And don't get caught out - with modern filtration methods and adroit winemaking, even swanky reds throw less sediment than they used to: I recently decanted several bottles of '83 Palmer from the same case and two were heavily speckled with sediment and two had very little.

For those like me with lousy eyesight, the best decanting method is to stand your bottle up for several hours to allow the sediment to drop to the bottom. Light a short candle, hold the neck of the bottle over it and slowly pour the wine into a clean jug or decanter until you spot the first specks of sediment. Stop immediately and pour the remainder into a glass. The latter can be drunk with pleasure too, once the sediment has settled.

One myth is the belief that decanting wine for hours before you intend to drink it will somehow allow “the wine to breathe” and evolve into a majestic mouthful. Wine is not a living thing and does not breathe. All that happens when you decant a bottle, exposing wine to its enemy air, is that it starts to oxidise and fade. In the Dark Ages of winemaking, when malodorous, evil-tasting reds were the norm, allowing some of the pong to disappear and the wine to soften was probably a good thing, but modern winemaking negates this. To avoid spoilage, it's best to open your precious bottle just before serving.

The week's best buys

- 2008 Viña Maipo Reserva Sauvignon Blanc, Central Valley, Chile. Sainsbury's down to £3.49 until Tuesday. A bargain wine with gentle, floral, lemon zesty fruit and wide solo wine appeal.

- 2007 Viña Maipo Reserva Merlot, Central Valley, Chile. Sainsbury's down to £3.49 until Tuesday. A lively, raisiny, plummy merlot that goes ideally with meaty pizza and pasta.

- 2006 Banrock Station, The Reserve, Cabernet Sauvignon-Shiraz, South Eastern Australia. Somerfield down to £4.49 until Tuesday. This rich, fat, blackcurranty, 14 per center is a steal at this price.

2007 French Connection Reserve Chardonnay, Vin de Pays, France. Somerfield, down to £4.49 until Tuesday. A superior, unoaked chardonnay, with light, juicy, lemon and melon-charged fruit.

The keeper

2004 Château Batailley, Pauillac, Bordeaux, France. Bibendum (020-7449 4120), £18.99. Fifth growth Batailley delivers cracking clarets that are great value for money. This tasty 2004 has lots of fine, scented, cedary yet burly fruit and could just about work with big winter food now but ideally needs a long stint under the stairs. Drink 2011 to 2019.

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