Decanting is the act of pouring wine carefully from a bottle in which loose sediment would otherwise become stirred up. After decanting, (carefully pouring off the clear wine until only the sediment remains behind), the sediment can be washed out of the bottle. Then the decanted wine can be returned to the clean bottle for serving. Decanting is most often done within 1 hour of serving, and usually for old wines only. Bottled wine rarely throws a sediment until well aged and young wines therefore do not need to be decanted, though many choose to do so for the effects of "breathing" or aeration. (Wine/Service)