Have you ever wanted a glass of wine–but didn’t know how to save wine for later? Pouring a single glass for dinner then dumping the rest out a week later because it tastes like vinegar is frustrating and expensive.
Luckily, there’s a clever kitchen gadget, the wine saver pump, that can help seal off your unfinished bottle. That way, it’s ready to go the next time you are. Read on to learn more about why wine spoils, and how stoppers can slow the process down.
Preserve the Aroma
A good wine saver keeps every part of the wine intact–including the aroma. When you first open a bottle, the wine mingles with the oxygen in the air. This lets you smell the wine, but it also introduces oxygen into the bottle.
Oxygen can cause a chemical reaction in the wine that changes the aroma. Taste and smell are two senses that are closely interconnected. Changing the aroma of the wine is going to change the experience of drinking it.
A typical wine bottle opener will let oxygen in as soon as you pull out the cork. Using a wine bottle saver can minimize the amount of oxygen that you let in.
Preserve the Taste
Along with the aroma, oxidation will change the wine’s taste as well. Over time, aeration will actually start to break down the wine. Microbes in the air, including certain yeasts and bacterias, can actually spoil the wine. Not only will it taste bad, but it can make you sick.
When vineyards make wine, they make sure to keep as much oxygen out of the process as possible. But once you take the wine home and open up the bottle, then you either need to drink it before it spoils or find a way to preserve it.
A wine saver can help you limit the amount of oxygen that gets into the bottle. The type of wine saver you use depends on how long you want to preserve the wine.
Never Waste Any Wine
The longer you want to keep a bottle of wine fresh, the more elaborate your wine saver needs to be. A standard wine save pump will push oxygen out of the bottle, creating a vacuum seal between the stopper and the liquid.
More sophisticated gadgets like a wine saver needle can actually pierce the cork without opening the bottle. The pump lets wine out, replacing it with a gas such as argon. When you pull the needle out, the cork swells back up, leaving the bottle as secure as it was before you opened it.
Start Using a Wine Saver Pump
Using a wine saver pump can save you hundreds of dollars and tears that you would otherwise waste on spoiled wine. With one kitchen tool, you can extend the life of every bottle until you’re ready to drink the last drop.
For more food and wine tips, check out the rest of our food and drink posts!
