(BonAppetite) - There are three, nonnegotiable things every wine drinker needs. First, uh, wine. Second, a corkscrew to open aforementioned wine. Third—I’m sorry, but not the wine glass charms you bought on something I call Drunk Etsy— a decanter, because you need to be decanting wines. Here’s why and how.

Hold up—what is decanting exactly?
Decanting is when you pour of a bottle of wine into another vessel, ideally a decanter but a blender, pitcher, or hell, an old glass vase will do.

And why do I need to decant wines?
Imagine sitting in the smallest seat, in the very back of coach, on the longest flight of your life. Your seat doesn’t recline, your knees are permanently wedged against old copies of Sky Mall, and you can’t shake the man next to you out of his Ambien-induced unconsciousness to take a piss. Even when you finally land, get to fully extend all your limbs, and go pee, you still feel awful and annoyed and need a good six hours stretched on the couch in your underwear to return to normal.