There are a lot of wine preservation options out there, ranging from a couple of dollars to hundreds and even several thousands of dollars.
Some do a nice job preserving the fresh taste of open bottles of wine (here's looking at you, Coravin), and some quite frankly don't do anything to keep your wine tasting fresh. I'm not going to name names here...
But there are some very important factors that you should carefully consider when choosing what type of wine preservation method is best for you and your situation.
In this article, we'll lay out what we feel are the most important factors. And we'll describe how to judge different wine preservation methods using these factors.
Whether for personal use at home or for professional use in your business, there are some "right" and "wrong" answers, and other "it depends" answers. So, let's sort them out!
At the end of the day, we're confident that VineyardFresh Wine Preserver is the best choice based on ease of use, effectiveness, expense, and overall value.
Factors That Make a Good Wine Preserver
Efficacy
Beyond being a fancy word, efficacy means "does it actually work." 100% argon is widely recognized as being the most effective method to preserve wine by preventing oxidation. VineyardFresh Wine Preserver is just one of a handful of 100% argon products, such as Coravin, Silvadore, Napa Technologies Wine Station, and Enomatic machines.
The beauty of argon gas is that it can go wherever the wine is to create the barrier. Argon is heavy and inert, so it settles on the wine and cannot impact any flavor or taste. No uncertainty of whether there is enough gas, enough work has been done, or whether there are any gaps that have allowed oxygen to effect the wine.
Other solutions, including hard barrier/balloons, vacuum pumps, and gases that are not argon - all have challenges in creating an effective barrier across the surface of the wine. Or, evacuating enough oxygen from the bottle to effectively stop oxidation from happening.
No matter what your final choice of wine preserver, we strongly encourage you go with a 100% argon preservation product.
Ease of Use
Whether you are using VineyardFresh at home or commercially in a bar setting, just two burst of VineyardFresh is all that is needed to create an effective argon barrier on top of the wine. Regardless of how much wine is left in the bottle.
We love to demonstrate at wine events to the everyday person. People often watch with great anticipation and when we simply burst twice and stop ... they say "that's it"? The answer is yes, spray and then re-cork or place any bottle stopper in place (the cork or stopper is to keep dust or debris from falling in to the bottle). Since argon gas is heavier than air, the protective argon barrier remains until the wine is poured again.
Space / Portability
VineyardFresh Wine Preserver is contained in a small and lightweight aluminum cannister. It takes up minimal space on your home counter, or minimal space behind the bar in your restaurant or club. Cans of VineyardFresh can be stored wherever you want, including across multiple bar locations. Keep a can(s) wherever wine may be served.
VineyardFresh is an instantaneous wine preservation "system" without the space normally associated with larger cabinet systems.
For establishments such as hotels, country clubs, or arenas, canisters can be easily and cheaply placed at every location where wine is served. For businesses that also use outdoors areas, temporary bar sets, catering events and for consumers on picnics, boats, or camping - VineyardFresh is super easy to move around as needed.
Cost for Consumers and Restaurants
VineyardFresh Wine Preserver offers a very low cost per use that also makes it an easy decision to save a bottle. Buy a regular retail canister of VineyardFresh online at $15 per canister and it only costs consumers 30 cents or less to save a bottle of wine!
Think about this...how does $0.30 compare to the cost of the bottle of wine being saved? Have a glass or two, and preserve even half a bottle of a $20.00 bottle saves you $10. The higher the value of the bottle - the more valuable VineyardFresh becomes. And, it is always at the same cost per save - $0.30 per bottle.
For Restaurants, the cost per bottle saved cam drop to under 10 cents per bottle. Larger accounts can get wholesale pricing and use the institutional size VineyardFresh Wine Preserver for their wine by the glass use.
No Capital Expense to Use VineyardFresh
With VineyardFresh there are no "investment" costs. You don't need to purchase an expensive device (sorry Coravin), or buy and build around very expensive cabinets (sorry Napa Technologies). These capital costs run from the hundreds to the thousands of dollars.
Also, with other wine preservation methods, there may be ongoing costs for gas cartridges, rubber stoppers, needles, and hoses. Larger systems also have significant replacement or maintenance costs.
Compare the Top Wine Preservation Methods
Here's a table that compares the Top Methods to Preserve Wine. Yes, we built this table. And yes, we ranked the choices. But, there's a reason we've invested our time and money into VineyardFresh. Because we believe it's the right choice for on premise operators and home users.
Try VineyardFresh for Yourself
If you want to try VineyardFresh and run some trials on your own, pick up a consumer size can and test it at home on your next few bottles of wine. If your a restaurant or Club, contact us for a free sample kit with trial instructions and ordering information. Have more questions? Check out our FAQs page.
