This is it. The best and simplest way to preserve wine when you only want a glass or two from the bottle. I have been in search of this Holy Grail for decades. I have tried them all. Vacuum pumps. Argon gas. Nitrogen gas. Re-cork and refrigerate. I have been lusting for a skybar system for over a year...just $999 to preserve my precious bottles of wine! But it's expensive and needs too much real estate on my kitchen counters.
They are basically all smoke and mirrors. They all worked somewhat, but they were far from perfect. And then at a dinner last Saturday night, I was introduced to perfection: The EJ Dale Wine Preservation Method. Finally, a way to open a bottle of red wine, enjoy a glass or two, and not have the remaining wine taste like crap a few days later.
Chris Budolfson was one of my best friends in high school. Over the course of 40+ years, we have maintained that friendship. A few years back she had the good fortune to marry EJ Dale. EJ is a wine lover, through and through. We share a common affliction of wine collectors everywhere...our wine cellars are full and we have nowhere to put the new cases we keep buying.
We were out to dinner last Saturday night, discussing wine, of course, and EJ began sharing with me his method of wine preservation. I was dumbfounded by the genius of his methodology. It is so incredibly simple...so obvious...one of those "why didn't I think of that?" moments. But I didn't think of that. Fortunately, EJ did and I am here to share his brilliance with you.
First thing you need to do is buy yourself some 375ml bottles. A bottle of wine is 750ml, so one of these 375ml bottles holds a half bottle of wine. You can buy 375ml bottles with corks, but I like screw tops for their ease of use. I bought mine from the restaurant supply company, Wasserstrom. They cost $3.47 each...the cheapest wine preservation tool in the world! You can check them out here: http://www.wasserstrom.com/restaurant-supplies-equipment/GCSearchCmd?storeId=10051&langId=-1&catalogId=1000148&pageDisplay=&maxResults=&rankBy=&search_field=375ml+bottles
Once you have a 375ml bottle, the next step is to uncork your wine. Now here is the critical step: immediately fill the 375ml bottle with the freshly opened wine. Do not wait under any circumstances...you must fill the 375ml bottle the minute you open the wine...before air has a chance to interact with the wine. If you wait to do this after the bottle has been open for awhile, it will not work. You must do this immediately upon opening the wine. Fill the 375ml bottle to the very top (see photo above) so that there is absolutely no room for air in the bottle when you put the cap back on. OK...now put the cap on and stick the bottle back in your cellar. Then pour yourself a glass of wine from the remaining contents in the big bottle. Enjoy!
Chris and EJ tell me that this method will preserve wine for up to two weeks. I have tried it with wine poured six days ago....and I'm here to tell you that six days later it tastes exactly like it did the minute I uncorked the 750ml bottle. I revel in the simplicity of this and I am extremely grateful to EJ for discovering The Holy Grail...and then sharing it.
EJ and Chris Dale
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