Does your decanter gather dust on a shelf? Perhaps it’s an elegant, swanlike number, terrifyingly breakable and a nightmare to clean. Or perhaps you inherited a stash of sturdy cut glass decanters, relics of a more formal dining era. Either way, it’s a shame to fall into the mindset that decanters only have a place at black-tie dinners or when you reverently unfurl that venerable first-growth claret.

Let’s start at the very opposite end of the spectrum. Young, tight and perhaps even still slightly sulphurous white wines can really benefit from aeration in a decanter before serving.

Older whites might not want to be opened so far in advance, but there’s something glorious about that golden colour of a mature, traditional white Rioja, Rhône or Riesling. Show it off in a decanter and the enjoyment can start before any wine even reaches your glass.

It may feel most natural to decant mature red wines, but younger reds can arguably benefit even more. The likes of Cabernet Sauvignon, Nebbiolo or Malbec can sometimes feel more about structure than fruit, but a few hours in the decanter can transform these tannic styles into altogether more relaxed, expressive and charming dinner companions.

Allowing wine to breathe is one function of a decanter; another is to intercept any sediment that may have formed at the bottom of the bottle. Modern filtration practices mean you’re unlikely to find any unsightly gunk in the mainstream brands that line supermarket shelves. But most fine wines are unfiltered, so expect fuller-bodied examples in particular to drop a layer of sediment over decades of maturation.

Once again, though, fine wines are not the only candidates for consideration here. The minimal intervention ethos most loudly espoused by the natural wine movement but reaching well beyond its confines means even less expensive wines can have a bit of chew at the bottom. Nor is it only reds: white wines can often contain harmless but unsightly tartrate crystals. Decant and avoid a murky mouthful.

Unless you’re putting friends to the test by serving the wine blind, everyone loves a look at the label. If that’s the case then consider double decanting. Pour the wine into a jug then back into the bottle (after rinsing out any stubborn sediment) for all the benefits of aeration and filtration without the fiddly late-night decanter cleaning either. Just don’t attempt this delicate manoeuvre after too many martinis.

If there are some labels you want to show off, then there are definitely others you don’t. Occasionally a glorious liquid can be wrapped in a hideously ill-conceived or simply rather cheap looking label. Decant and your friends will be happily liberated from any prejudice that might otherwise mar their enjoyment of your hospitality.

Of course, it’s possible to stretch this tactic a stage further and pass off a genuinely cheap wine as something far smarter. Conscience, company and fear of retaliation will all dictate how far you can push this ruse. That, and the resentment you’ll feel in the small hours of the morning while painstakingly relieving delicate glassware of stubborn stains left by cheap Californian Merlot. Don’t let that false economy ruin your evening, but in all other scenarios do remember your trusty decanter.