Why Does Wine Go Bad from Exposure to Air?

July 26, 2016

According to our wine school friends, one of the most frequent questions consumers ask is “How do you keep wine fresh?”

In order to understand how to keep wine fresh, one needs to know one of the reasons why wine goes bad in the first place. Heat and light are two important factors in degrading wine. Keep your wine in a cool, dark place to store it best.

However, once the bottle is opened, the criminal in charge of soiling your beloved bottle of wine from that point on is none other than oxygen. Yes, exposure to oxygen initially helps "open the wine" and improve it's flavor. But, fairly quickly, that goodness turns to badness.

Over time, the exposure to oxygen will cause wine to continue to change through a process known as oxidation. And eventually, the flavor will degrade to a point of tasting like vinegar. Yuck.

What is Oxidation?

Oxidation in your wine is the same oxidation that causes metal to rust or an apple to turn brown when exposed to air. Oxidation is defined as the interaction between oxygen molecules and all the different substances they may contact, from metal to living tissue.

Here's what an oxidized apple looks like:

When wine oxidizes, it impacts flavor, aroma and taste, much like an oxidized apple. Would you eat that apple one hour after cutting it? Definitely! Would you eat it 24 or 48 hours later when it has turned a distasteful brown? Probably not. Well, why then would you do that with your wine?

Here's what oxidized wine looks like:

Oxidized Wine turns brown and hazy

How to Stop Oxidation

Luckily, there are a few products on the market - including our own VineyardFresh - that prevent this pesky oxidation. These products can minimize or, better yet, prevent oxidation completely. We will talk about the different kinds of wine preservation systems, including the different applications, uses and benefits to YOU.

What VineyardFresh does is use 100% argon to create a protective layer between the surface of the wine and the air in the bottle. Argon is the preferred method to preserve open bottles of wine, and VineyardFresh is a cost effective method to deliver argon into a bottle of wine.