L’Atelier du Vin offers a comprehensive guide on the best methods to preserve wine and champagne after opening and tasting. The guide also presents the top preservation accessories for wine, champagne and sparkling wine, allowing wine lovers to extend their enjoyment until the final drop.
Contents:
Preserving an Open Bottle of Wine
If you don’t want to finish a bottle of fine wine in one go, don’t worry, you can preserve it for later. To avoid wasting a single drop, it’s important to seal the bottle and store it properly. Keep it away from light, heat, odours and vibrations, and ensure it’s kept at the right temperature. If you have a wine cellar, that’s the perfect place to preserve an open vintage. If you’re dealing with a white wine that should be served cold, a refrigerator is the way to go.
Can You Leave a Bottle of Wine Open?
If you plan to enjoy your wine over time, it’s important to preserve it correctly. Young or full-bodied wines can benefit from aeration and decanting by being opened hours before serving, but excessive exposure to air can lead to oxidation and spoilage.
To prevent this, it’s essential to close the bottle and seal it with stoppers or vacuum pumps. In this guide, we will explore the best techniques for using these tools to extend the life of your wine and savor every last drop.
Wine Stoppers to Hermetically Seal Bottles
If you want to keep your open bottles of wine fresh, a good quality storage stopper is a must-have.
With a variety of wine accessories available, there are many options to choose from. To ensure you always have one on hand when you need it, it’s a good idea to keep at least one storage stopper in your wine cellar.
The Stopper
The Stopper is a storage accessory that is as straightforward as its name suggests. It is not only visually appealing but also convenient and user-friendly due to its gently curved top. Sealing and reopening bottles is a breeze with this stopper. All you have to do is lift and twist, just like you would with your thumb and index finger to unscrew a bottle cap.
Vacuum Pumps, to Extract the Air from Bottles and Prevent Oxidation
To use the Gard’Vin vacuum pump and sealer, insert the On/Off sealer into the neck of the bottle, making sure the topper is raised and the red part is visible. Next, position the vacuum pump vertically on top of it, and pump with the upper part of the vacuum. When the topper on the sealer has been lowered, and the red part is no longer visible, there is no more air in the bottle. Your wine bottle is now airtight and will remain so for several days, until you decide to open it again.
Gard’Vin On/Off Vacuum Pump
How do you use our vacuum pump and sealer? Insert the Gard’Vin On/Off sealer into the neck: the topper is raised, and the red part is visible. Next, position the Gard’Vin vacuum pump vertically on top of it. Then, pump with the upper part of the vacuum. When the topper on the sealer has been lowered and the red part is no longer visible, there is no more air. Your wine bottle is now airtight and will remain that way for several days, until you decide to open it next.
The Bilame Corkscrew, or the Exception to the Rule
Preserving a fine wine with its original cork is ideal, and the Bilame corkscrew is the only tool that can extract and reinsert the cork without damaging it. The Bilame corkscrew’s secret is its ancient patented system that delicately extracts the cork intact. This tool is a must-have for wine enthusiasts, as it allows you to reseal your wine with its own cork, preserving it until your next tasting session.
The Bilame Corkscrew, a L’Atelier du Vin Signature
The Bilame corkscrew’s two blades slip between the glass and cork, gently extracting the cork while keeping it intact. Waiters used this discreet system nearly a century ago to open bottles, take a sip, and reseal the bottle without anyone noticing.
After using the Bilame corkscrew, you can reseal the bottle with its original cork, keeping the wine at the right temperature until your next tasting session, whether that is in a few hours or 1 to 2 days.
Preserving an Open Champagne Bottle
Opening a champagne bottle is a magical moment, often shared with loved ones. To prolong the moment, it’s possible to drink leftover champagne the next day, but it’s important to keep the champagne’s bubbles in mind when storing an open bottle of champagne or sparkling wine.
Leaving an excellent bottle of champagne open for just a few hours will cause it to lose its flavor, as its concentration in carbon dioxide decreases. To preserve the champagne’s taste and effervescence, reseal the bottle hermetically and keep it well chilled until your next celebration.
Champagne and Sparkling Wine Stoppers
It is impossible to reinsert the original champagne cork once it has been popped! You therefore need to use a reusable stopper, designed specifically for preserving champagne and sparkling wine. This champagne accessory must be adapted to the diameter of the bottle’s neck and be completely airtight, to avoid any spillage and, above all, to maintain the bubbles. Here is an overview of our collection of champagne stoppers.
To preserve champagne and sparkling wine after opening, it’s impossible to reinsert the original cork. That’s why you need a reusable stopper that is airtight and fits the bottle’s neck diameter to maintain the bubbles. Check out our collection of champagne stoppers for more options.
The Metal Gard’Bulles Champagne Stopper
The Metal Gard’Bulles champagne stopper is designed to protect your champagne bottle like an armoured helmet. With its high-end design and ability to keep bubbles in, your champagne will maintain its quality until your next tasting session once the metal jaws are closed around the bottle.
The Model 54 Champagne Stopper
Once you’ve inserted the Model 54 stopper, your champagne or sparkling wine bottle will be airtight when you screw on the upper part. The elegant metal disc will help maintain your bottle’s charm so that you can experience the same excitement as when you first opened it.
The Bubble Indicator Stopper
L’Atelier du Vin suggests using their prestigious Bubble Indicator stopper if you want to preserve your fine Blanc de Blancs vintage champagne without losing any of its quality. This bubble-shaped stopper indicates the level of pressure inside the bottle, allowing you to know when it’s time to enjoy your champagne before it’s too late. Simply screw it on and you’re ready to go!
If you found this guide on preserving wine and champagne helpful, take a look at our other comprehensive guides for tips on the best wine and sommellerie practices.