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One of the biggest drawbacks to using a decanter is actually getting it dry after cleaning it. This simple tip isn't rocket science, but it definitely speeds up the process.
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Mike Supple: You're watching Screw It on SuppleWine. I'm your host, Mike Supple.

Odds are, if you own a decanter - whether you got it as a gift or you bought it because it looked like something fun to try out - you probably don't use it too often. I have quite a few of them and I rarely use them even though I really enjoy the wine when I do.

The point of a decanter in general is to help bring a wine into its full potential - to make it smell and taste better. It mixes the oxygen with the wine faster than just sitting in a glass or bottle, and it really helps improve the aromas and bouquet of a wine. This is really useful for young wines - both reds and whites. So if you do have a decanter I suggest using it more frequently.

I know one of the major reasons I don't use mine is because it's such a pain to clean and dry. It just doesn't ever seem to get dry. Take a look right here. [Close-up of decanter full of tiny droplets of water.] You can see that it's still full of water droplets even though it's been sitting upside-down for a whole day already. This isn't rocket science, but there is a fairly simple method that makes it a lot easier to dry. And if this helps you out and makes it so you use your decanters more frequently, then it's worth it.

Take a really thin cloth or towel - like a cheese cloth. You can pick them up at Wal-Mart or Target, etc. Fold it in the middle and wrap it up so it's nice and thin, then drop it down inside the decanter. You may have to push it and help it along.

If it gets stuck in the middle it helps to keep twisting the towel. That makes it narrower right in the thickest part of the towel and you can shove it down in. Make sure you leave a corner hanging out the end so you don't lose the towel completely inside the decanter.

Once inside and the towel is touching the water droplets you can start using it to dry. I then untwist it to unroll the towel a little which helps spread out the towel inside the decanter.

Then, simply shake the decanter all around to get the towel moving and hitting all the corners, absorbing water drops as it goes. You may look kind of foolish while you're doing it but it really does help. You don't want water sitting in the decanter when it's on the shelf because you might come back to find funky mildew and other things growing inside, rendering the decanter useless.

After about a minute you will see a significant improvement. [Close-up of almost fully dry decanter.] It may not be completely empty but you've removed the majority of the water and the few tiny droplets left will just evaporate out on their own.