How to Preserve an Open Bottle of Wine at Home

You may have already read our article on Why You Should Use a Wine Preserver at Home. That articles tells you Why. This article tells you How!

What Happens When You Open a Bottle of Wine?

When you open the bottle at home, oxygen enters the bottle and begins to interact with the surface of the wine. This interaction is called "oxidation" and changes the flavor profile of the wine over time. As the wine oxidizes, the flavor changes from a more desirable "opening up", to a neutral affect, and then to a degradation of the flavor. This curve goes all the way to the undesirable point of the wine tasting and smelling like vinegar. To learn more about this, check out our article on "Why Do Open Bottles of Wine Go Bad?"

Can You Stop Wine from Oxidizing?

Yes! You can stop the process of oxidization. You can accomplish this through lower storage temperatures, removal from direct sunlight, and preventing oxygen from touching the surface of the wine. Unopened wine bottles stored in a wine fridge or wine cellar can accomplish two of these things.

However, when you cork the bottle, you're allowing air into the bottle and the oxidization process begins.

To stop this process and keep your wine tasting fresh, use a proven effective wine preserver. 100% Argon based wine preservation systems have proven to be the most effective method, with argon used in Coravin, Napa Technologies, VineyardFresh, and our own Silvadore Wine Preserver.

For a more in depth look at different wine preservation methods, read our article "Different Methods You Can Use to Preserve Wine" for deeper coverage on this topic.

Bottom Line: an effective wine preserver is the one wine accessory that keeps your wine tasting fresh after you open the bottle.

How to Preserve an Open Bottle of Wine

1. Pour yourself a nice glass of wine. This is why you bought the wine!
2. Grab a can of Silvadore Wine Preserver (or Coravin device, if that's how you roll)
3. Point the nozzle into the neck of the bottle
4. Press and release the nozzle twice to create two bursts of 1-2 seconds each. This puts the colorless, odorless, tasteless, 100% food grade argon into the bottle.
5. Leisurely re-cork the bottle - no special stopper required. Argon is heavier than air and settles onto the top of the wine to form a protective layer.  Think beautiful mist nestled on top of a smooth lake.
6. The thin layer of argon creates a neutral barrier between the wine and the oxygen in the bottle.
7. This protective layer remains effective until the next pour. 
8. Store the bottle upright, in a cool dry place
9. Reopen the bottle, pour another fresh tasting glass of wine, and repeat

That's all you need to know. Simple, inexpensive, effective.

How Preserving Wine at Home Can Change Your Life

Preserving open bottles of wine let's you do all sorts of things differently. By being able to enjoy a single glass of fresh tasting wine from any bottle you have changes how, when, and with whom you enjoy wine. 

This is where the real fun begins!!! Check out our article on "All the Things You Can Do Now That You Preserve Your Wine" and let the new wine experiences begin.

Because, hey, it's our mission - We Make The Wine Experience Better