I wasn't going to deal with decanting at all. Enough has been said: it's great for young, tough red wines; aged wines that tend to throw sediment; use caution when decanting delicate older wines. But in general, decanting most wines, in my experience, helps a ton.
For example, The Kipper and I just recently opened a well-priced Graham Beck Pinotage. It's a perfect candidate for decanting, since it can be, according to Karen McNeil (one of my favs!), a bit coarse. After an hour in the tank, it sheds that edge and grows up. Pinotage can be polarizing, but I love it for being rustic, savory, and meaty. And again, decanting helps the wine itself in this case.
But what about decanting for aesthetic reasons? Even if it didn't help the wine directly, I think I'd still decant most things. It prepares you.
Music blossomed for me when I got records. Still to this day, records lay the foundation for listening to recorded music (maybe a reason for their current popularity in an Ipod world?). Its multiple enclosures to process and look at, the act of cleaning (if you were meticulous and/or sober), the placing of the record to the platter and the needle to the disc. All in all, a process that's performance. One to prepare you for the commitment of listening that awaits you.
This is what decanting is. A wine's overture. It allows you to spend time with a wine before aromas, mouthfeel and finishes. To see its color and how it behaves in glass. Your wine respected.
Besides, like a turntable spinning around, it's pretty cool. Who wouldn't be more attracted to a wine presented this way? Therefore, purchase a decanter if you don't have one (they can be had for little money) and decant some of your weeknight, value-driven wine and see how you feel about it. Or throw a dinner party and/or wine tasting and put a wine or two into the decanter and see what people say or what wine they go for first. Better yet, decant in front of your guests and see if they get pulled in. I bet they do.
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