We got an email from Co-Founder and General Manager Ryan Frederickson of The ArT of Preserving Wine, a company that produces cans of natural argon gas to help preserve wine. He shared the history of his company and offered to send us a can of the argon gas to try for ourselves. Of course we accepted!
Many people enjoy a glass of wine in the evening. The ArT of Preserving Wine makes it possible to open a favorite bottle, enjoy a glass or two, and save the rest for a later date. For us though, that usually isn’t a problem. For two people sharing a bottle of wine isn’t a wasteful event. Two glasses each and the bottle is empty.
However, we decided to accept the challenge and see exactly how this system works. We decided to open a bottle of the 2014 Cabernet Franc Reserve from Pollak vineyards. We love this wine already and would hate to see it go to waste. We each had a glass from the bottle. We then followed the directions on the can. We put the nozzle in the bottle and held the handle for two seconds. The argon gas displaced the oxygen and covered the wine surface with a layer of natural argon gas. This kept the wine from oxidizing and ruining the wonderful flavors of the wine. We quickly re-corked the bottle and stored it standing up in a cool, dark closet. We enjoyed our glass and took notes on the characteristics of the wine. While we wanted to have another glass, we decided we should keep it corked for the experiment.
Five days later, an amount of time that would ruin any uncorked red wine, we pulled out the safely stored bottle and popped the cork. AMAZING results! The wine exhibited the same characteristics it had previously! We noted the same blackberry, currents, dark cherry, and tobacco that we noted *5* days earlier! We were a bit astonished at the results. We couldn’t imagine how this could actually work. But it did! Science is amazing!
We don’t often have wine left in a bottle but we are convinced that The ArT of Preserving Wine is the way to go if we do find ourselves with wine left in a bottle. While we did our experiment with a red wine, we are sure this would work with white wine as well. However, store the white wine in the fridge instead of a cool, dark closet.
If you are interested in finding out more about The ArT of Preserving Wine, check out their The ArT of Preserving Wine. You can find out more details about the process and order a can or two!
CA manages to meld both Old and New World styles. On both the nose and palate, it suggests the weight of a Napa inspired white wine; indeed, it is barrel aged in 30% new French oak in addition to fermentation in stainless steel tanks. Therefore, it presents a crisp entry with fruity flavors of pear, stone fruit and citrus. It finishes with a nutty element as well as a fuller mouth feel. Take time to note its lovely aromas of butterscotch, pear and lemon peel. In a way, it seemsto merge California and the Rhone region of France into a wine bottle. Who says white wines can’t be complex? CA is a blend of Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier and Roussane; growers hale from Napa, Sonoma, and Mendocino. Food pairings? I enjoyed this one with roasted chicken with mashed potatoes. Herbed pork roast, dishes topped with cream sauce, goat cheeses on a toasted baguette—-you get the picture (or the menu ideas.)
Quite simply, we both adored this wine. On the nose, I noted aromas of spring blossoms, lime, orange zest, and shale; flavors of pear, lime and citrus zest led to a full and fruity palate followed by a crisp finish. Corse fully expresses a Mediterranean climate with its cool, breezy nights and warm, dry days. Did Napoleon Bonaparte, Corsica’s most famous native, enjoy this Vermentino with his favorite meal—-chicken and pasta with parmesan cheese? We hope so, and I thought of Napoleon when I prepared dinner. Crab cakes were on the menu, but I did toss some bowtie pasta with butter and parmesan cheese to serve as a side dish It proved to be a lovely pairing! 
I is a blend of Negroamaro, Nero d’Avola, and Barbera, and these varietals represent fruit from Puglia located Southern region of Italy as well as Barbera located in the Piedmont region of Northern Italy. The result is a rich, complex wine with aromas of blackberry, charcuterie, fall spices and cedar. A fruity palate of dark berries gives way to spice and oak nuances. Enjoy with Italian fare or with beef dishes, a platter of sliced dried meats, and hard cheeses.
If roasted chops are on the menu, consider P, a blend of Portuguese grapes that includes Touriga Nacional, Trincadeira, and Touriga Franca. P also presents a fruity nose and palate with notes of plum, cherry and blackberry; hints of anise and black pepper also come out to play. We enjoyed P with roasted pork chops and roasted potatoes sprinkled with basil, thyme, and rosemary.
