Serving & Preserving Wine

Short synopsis of oenology

Wine’s greatest enemy, once the bottle has been opened, is oxygen. An unopened bottle contains negligible amounts of dissolved oxygen. When the bottle is opened, this delicate balance is disturbed: ambient oxygen comes into contact with the wine and starts the irreversible process of wine oxidation.

Initially, contact with air makes the wine develop in a positive way, allowing the wine to develop and achieve a balance (hence the benefit of decanting into a carafe). However, too much exposure causes the organoleptic qualities of the wine to deteriorate.

Solutions for slowing oxidation

Two types of solution exist to slow the development of wine and oxidation: either compressing the space at the top of the bottle by means of inert gas (argon or nitrogen), or establishing a vacuum in the space at the top (reduction in oxygen).