We wine lovers spend a lot of time talking about what’s in our glass. So much so that we often forget that wine first must be poured to be enjoyed. There’s nothing wrong with keeping your wine in the bottle, but for those who want to take things to the next level, decanting is the way to go.

This time honored technique allows you to enjoy the beauty of the wine — taking in its color as seen through clear glass. The increased surface area means your wine will get a nice fresh breath of air before you gulp it down. Decanting often removes sediment that may be lurking in the bottle. Some even say that the process of pouring from bottle to vessel can remove flaws, such as those nasty smelling mercaptans. All but the most fragile wines can be decanted to good effect, including many whites.

Here are a few strange and wondrous decanters we’ve found.

This branchlike design is by French Artist Etienne Meneau. Several in this series are currently on display at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art as part of the How Wine Became Modern exhibition.

This one makes us think of another type of intoxicating activity. Or perhaps an undersea voyage. (From Random Good Stuff blog.)

This is a combination wine decanter and funnel. Who knows how well this thing works, but it sure is an attention grabber.

This inverted decanter is not only stylish, but it has a built in filter and pours directly into the glass.