Opened wines best preserved in a vacuum, new study shows

By Mathew Lyons

Published: 22 January, 2016

A vacuum is the best method of preserving the quality of a wine once opened, an study by the University of Burgundy has revealed.

Researchers at the university spent eight months comparing the effectiveness of the traditional use of inert gases to preserve quality against the controlled application of a vacuum.

A panel of expert tasters was invited to a comparative tasting of freshly opened bottles, opened bottles conventionally preserved via argon and nitrogen, and opened bottles preserved via EuroCave's Wine Art vacuum system.

The panel found that the vacuum system effectively maintained the quality of freshly opened wine for up to seven days.

The inert gases, however, had modified the wine's character and failed to preserve its original qualities.

The concentration of dissolved oxygen in wines that remain in opened bottles can increase by up to 9mg/l, which causes the smell and taste of the wine to deteriorate.

Régis Gougeon, the research team manager, said: "At the same time as testing the efficacy of the vacuum system, we also wanted to compare the effect of using different inert gases to limit the dissolved oxygen content of opened bottles of wines.

"The conclusion was that nitrogen is as effective as argon, but that the vacuum system used by the Wine Art allows for better results to be obtained without the use of inert gases.

"The Wine Art not only combats the issue of oxidation in opened bottles of wine; it also allows consumers to be able to serve wines at the perfect temperature, as the two separate compartments for red and white wines can be adjusted accordingly at the touch of a button."

The on-trade has seen rising demand for wines by the glass in recent years, as consumers have sought to enjoy the highest quality wines in smaller quantities.

The Wine Art retails at £299 at the EuroCave showroom and online at www.eurocave.co.uk

Printer friendly version