Why on earth would we do this? No, this is not another crazy party game we do after the third bottle of wine! We did this in the name of wine preservation.
As you may know, a wine starts to oxidise and go bad the second you open it. It will still taste fresh after a day or so, but any longer than that it will start to taste dull, and after that – it’s Vinegar City, population: you!
There are many gadget that try to preserve wine. Gadgets that pump the oxygen out of wine, or gadgets that pump inert gas over the wine. Or you could transfer the remaining liquid in to a half size bottle. But, arghhhh, this stuff is a nightmare, and many give questionable results. Some people even think they can freeze a wine in order to keep it fresh (please, NEVER do this).
But over the weekend I discovered and tried out the latest gadget, and it gets 10 out of 10 for quirkiness and 10 out of 10 for effectiveness.
The Air Cork simply inflates a mini balloon inside your half drunk bottle of wine until there is no more air in contact with the wine. It’s so simple it’s bloody genius. And because there is zero oxygen in contact with the wine, it should allow the wine to stay fresh for as long as you need. [insert ‘what is leftover wine’ gag here!]
Big thanks to Sam Neill of Two Paddocks fame for helping me with the video, and the team at Gourmet Traveller Wine Magazine for hosting a great Friday night drinks!
The Air Cork costs about US$28 and can be bought from www.aircork.com
The Wine Wankers 
It’s bloody genius – but it’s fucked. I bought two in 2014, and, generously, a spare third balloon came in the same box. The first balloon popped after a week. Three weeks later, the second, two weeks after that, the third burst. Six weeks, three balloons, all seemed a bit silly. I emailed the manufacturer, and they offerred to ship replacement balloons – though none arrived.
The concept is great. If you end up needing 24 balloons a year it starts to become an expensive pain in the butt. Execution is everything.
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that does sound like a lot of wear and tear! Ive been using it for one week – no breakages yet, so maybe they’ve improved – I will let you know if it breaks.
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[…] via [GADGET REVIEW] We blew up a balloon inside a bottle of wine and guess what happened…. — The Win… […]
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I bought the AirCork and the balloons deflated after several months destroying my wine. I bought replacement balloons and they deflated. Never again. I wanted a Coravin, but it is too pricy. A friend suggested Private Preserve; it was $10, works easily, and has not spoiled a bottle yet.
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i now agree with you!
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Egadgets, that’s fab!!! luv it!
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The concept is good, but do you notice if the balloon gives off a flavor or odor into the wine? I’m thinking of the balloons that I blow up for my kids and they can be smelly.
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not that i could detect
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this one was fine. But ive since had it break a couple of times. Im now dubious about this product.
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The other issue with this is the aesthetics. Try is I might, after seeing it in action I kept thinking it looked as if someone had inflated a pink condom in the wine bottle. And that just put me off, especially if it’s a pale kiwi sauv blanc.
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Oh wow, I didn’t think of that happening. Did you ever think you’d be in a situation where you were fishing out pieces of broken balloon from your wine? Strange problem to have…
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You mean people open the botthe and don’t finish it in one day? LOL
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apparently – crazy, huh!
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It’s simple and effective! I’ve tried it a few times and I’d say it’s not my ideal way to save wine. Adds some friction having to inflate the balloon every time you pour a glass.
Spray cans like private preserve also work well, but still require you evacuate the air with nitrogen every time you pour a glass.
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Reblogged this on Random Repeat.
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Reblogged this on Ideas.Become.Words and commented:
My regulars know I love, but cannot tolerate wine. Migraines.
My regulars also know that my WIP is a novel about a vineyard.
(Great choice – is there no end to your talents?)
Now, heres a site I shall be following as I should pick up some tips for my books (sshh let’s not tell them that, ok? Tee hee … actually, if my book every got published, and I had sourced fine wine facts from this blog, I actually would like them in the credits. And invite them to the launch. They can provide the wine! Result).
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The other issue with this gadget, that no one has dared to name, is that it’s offputting to have a giant pink condom inflated inside your bottle of wine before you drink it.
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