Wine and cellaring

Serving & Preserving Wine

EuroCave’s unique vacuum system is changing the way we can enjoy our wine.

As wine by the glass becomes an increasingly popular way to enjoy wine whilst dining out, bottles are remaining open for longer. This raises the question for venues as to how best preserve the tasting qualities of wine over time to eliminate wastage and protect profits.

A number of wine preservation appliances have been available in the market for some time now, but EuroCave’s WineBaruses a unique vacuum system that is a relatively new innovation. It has been scientifically tested by the Institut Universitaire de la Vigne et du Vin (wine and vine university institute), of the University of Burgundy, and achieved some glowing results. Firstly, let’s take a step back…

Short synopsis of oenology

Wine’s greatest enemy, once the bottle has been opened, is oxygen, which causes the wine to oxidize and alters its original qualities. 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 sets off 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 in terms of taste (hence the benefit of decanting into a carafe). However, too much exposure auses 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).

“IT’S A FIRST IN THE SCIENTIFIC WORLD OF OENOLOGY. UP UNTIL NOW, NOBODY HAS ADDRESSED THIS ISSUE. I FOUND THE APPROACH INNOVATIVE AND INTERESTING.”

~ Régis Gougeon, manager of the research team appointed by EuroCave

The test results

Scientific testing of EuroCave’s vacuum technology was supervised by Régis Gougeon and spanned 8 months. The experiments confirmed that the wine aging process is slowed by controlled application of a vacuum in the space above the wine in the bottle, which reduces the oxidation process without changing the sensory profile of the wine. The effectiveness of the vacuum system was further confirmed by a panel of expert tasters who found no difference between bottles that had just been opened and identical bottles that had been opened, partially drunk and preserved for periods of up to 7 days. The panel of tasters also highlighted the fact that this system (compared with preservation systems that use inert gas) most effectively retains the original tasting qualities of the wine.

EuroCave’s vacuum technology is available in Wine Bar 8.0 (capacity for 8 open bottles and store 8 unopened bottles) and the NEW WineBar 2.0 (capacity for 2 open bottles). Both have separate temperature zones to keep red and white wine varietals at ideal drinking temperature.