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This is worth replaying ...... with the development of one of our competitors products, Coravin and their promotional efforts, they are helping open some eyes on to wine preservation using 100%argon.

We just happen to be an economical way that anyone can afford to take advantage of the process.  We would just like to emphasize the reasons why 100% argon is better than any other.

Why is using 100% argon gas so favorable? We love counting the ways… here are our top four:

1. Science – Understanding how 100% argon gas actually preserves wine is simple physics and chemistry.

Argon is an inert noble gas (tasteless, odorless, colorless, and harmless), and is heavy relative to air. Therefore, it’s able to create a vapor barrier that can keeps oxygen away from the wine. No mystery or magic. Having a logical understanding is important. 

2. Efficacy – The primary reason for using preservation is to actually preserve the wine.  Due to the points made above, 100% argon gas performs on its own. It actually works as an anti oxidizer and thus works on any liquid in a bottle/container (i.e. specialty oils/vinegars and spirits).

3. Ease of use – All you need to do is get 100% argon gas in to the bottle. Its inherent qualities (i.e. the science above) will naturally do the rest of the work.  VineyardFresh provides a portable and simple means to do so anywhere, anytime and anyplace.

4. Value – Since only a small amount of argon is needed to protect and preserve wine (or other liquid) in a bottle, it has a very high value to cost ratio. Using VineyardFresh as an example, based on an average retail price of $12.50. It would cost 25 cents or less to save a bottle. Consider that even a modestly priced $9.99 bottle, if half full, would be worth $5.00 … your choice, save for another day or not!

Education and knowledge is of key importance. We encourage you to do your own research for your own comfort and trust. As a wine drinker, experience first hand. Wine preservation is a means to save, but more importantly as a means to enjoy more wine (because you can save). You will find wonderful value in your freedom to enjoy whatever you want whenever you want, with no worry about waste. 

Gary gives you a quick intro into how you can increase your wine revenue and profits by ramping up your "Wine by the Glass" program. VineyardFresh - a 100% Argon wine preserver - keeps your wine fresh. As a result, you can dramatically expand your wine by the glass offering and enjoy increased revenue and profits from high margin wine sales. AND....your customers can order a full bottle of good wine, and feel confident that they can bring the wine home and continue to enjoy the bottle on another evening. (See our blog post on "Merlot to Go" laws for every state).

VineyardFresh - Keeps Wine Fresh. Stay fresh, my friend.

Want to learn about argon wine preservation in person? Come by Booth 1995 at the National Restaurant Association Show next month at McCormack Place. Watch Gary, as he tells you why you should stop by the booth and learn more about increasing your wine revenue and profits!

We'll see you at NRA!

Clive Burroughs Proprietor at Fine Wine Accessories in England provided this recent LinkedIn article post. I followed up with some comments noted below and although we may not be in agreement with some of the details, I certainly commended him for bringing wine preservation forward as a topic. 

From Clive:

You hardly ever finish a bottle of wine in one go. Wine as you know needs to be stored in the right manner so as to ensure that its flavour and aroma stays intact. Preserving the wine however is not that easy without the right apparatus. To ensure that the essence of the drink stays intact, use of wine preservers is very important.

There are a number of different wine preservers available in the markets. Some use the mechanism of pumping out the air from the bottle while some lay a blanket of inert gas over it to stop the exposure of wine to the air. Choosing the right one according to your requirements is what is necessary. There are various different gadgets available for you to choose from depending on the ease of use you are looking for.

The Vacu Vin Wine Saver is a very simple and uncomplicated one to use. This has been in use for decades and allows the user to hand pump the air out. This wine saver just needs to be placed around the neck of the bottle after which you can pump out the air which arrests the wine’s exposure to air.

The AntiOx wine preserver  is again a fairly simple one to use. Just pop it onto the bottle firmly and the micro filter present in this preserver will do the rest of the job. The best feature of this stopper is that it records the date which helps you to keep a track and there is no need to pump out any air.

The Vacu Vin Concerto Wine Saver with its 4 stoppers works in the same way as the ordinary wine savers. 

Then there is the Original Inert Gas Aerosol Wine Preserver which is one of the best amongst the many. It makes use of the same inert gas which is used in the production and bottling of wine to stop the oxidization process. The Private Preserve is a good one too. This is one of the simplest to use and relatively inexpensive too. The gas contained in a can needs to be simply sprayed directly over the wine bottle. It lays a safe blanket of inert gas over the wine and displaces all of the oxygen from the space above the wine thus stopping the oxidization process. If you want a system which is absolutely hassle free to use, this one is for you.

My response:

As one of the inert gas wine preservation companies based in the U.S. (VineyardFresh), we couldn't agree more with Clive. We understand that people do not think of saving wine, but of drinking and enjoying wine. What we have learned from feedback and comments is that use of  wine preservation actually causes people to drink more wine (not less). 

 After all, having quality wine preservation allows people to open up whatever they want, whenever they want. Open that 2nd or 3rd bottle or more expensive bottle, because you can, without worrying about waste. 

 Although we are biased, we are strong advocates of ANY product that uses 100% argon to preserve their wines (i.e. Enomatic machines, Napa Technology Wine Stations, Wine Saver Pro, Coravin). Relatively recently, Coravin has helped educate, by creating awareness of their product the category of wine preservation. Wine Enthusiast reported that in 2015, 2016 data not yet out) wine preservation increased by 15%. 

 We need to help consumers (and the trade) realize that wine preservation should be a necessity, is not an accessory. The importance is for the end user to have the best product/system that fits their needs. Could be anything from a higher end quality system to our product that retails for $15 or less here in the U.S.

 Interested in more industry information including a Harvard Business Review article on how Wine Preservation could increase the wine industry by Billions of US Dollars, feel free to connect with me anytime at gary@vineyardfresh.com 

Congratulations to those of you on being a Wine Lover and Social Coordinator. You are part of an elite group that understand the marrying of a passion (wine) with sharing experiences with people. A great combination to help get through the winter and before you know it, it will be spring and this summer's festival season  will be close upon us.

Especially for those of you in northern climates, to help you during the March home stretch, I’d like to suggest a reasonable, yet fun entertainment opportunity.  Plan a weekend evening or two with some close, dear friends and plan dinner/hors d’oerves and a movie. Grab a wine video (DVD or streamed) and plan a casual evening. Some wine, some cheese and crackers, followed by a movie and then a tasting plus food and  you have a “set” gathering everyone will love.

Even if you have seen the movie before, sharing them with friends is a joy to experience. Probably better topic to discuss than politics or religion. Talk about the movie or talk about the wine … you can’t go wrong. 

Although these are somewhat standard, here’s a few movie suggestions and ideas to tie in to them:

1. Sideways  –  although personally not one of my favorites, it is a classic.  Well viewed as a wine movie and for the impact it had on the Merlot wine industry. Commonly known as the Sideways effect (pinot noir sales went up). My suggestion. Open up a few Pinot Noirs before the movie and enjoy. Watch and then enjoy a wide range of merlots (4-6 various ones) and enjoy the discussion Merlot versus Pinot or merlot versus merlot. I fully enjoy merlot and it deserves more respect, find out for yourself. 
2. SOMM  – This is a very interesting documentary on students attempting to pass the Master Sommelier (post nominal MS) of which there are currently only 230 in the world. Intriguing insight in to the world of wine and appreciation. Post movie, why not try a “simple blind taste” and appreciating how hard it really is. Pick 4 reds and/or whites. Tell everyone what the wine varietals are, but have them guess and name them. Remind competitive people, this is for “fun”.
3. Bottle Shock – this is my favorite wine movie because I found it to be a fun and entertaining story whether you are in to wine or not. You will feel good at the end of this movie. About the now infamous, 1976 blind wine tasting often referred to as “Judgment of Paris”. Afterwards, open up an equal number of Napa wines alongside French wines and “judge” for yourself. Both white and red.    

Regardless what you select, you will have a very social evening with dear friends (and wine) and isn’t that what it is all about?