Savor and save wine – one glass at a time

Wine enthusiasts discover favor and flavor of product that preserves leftover wine in bottles

A Purdue University graduate has developed a method designed to keep wine in opened, unfinished bottles fresh for weeks. The method uses a spray of argon gas to stop the oxidation process. (Image provided) Download image

CHICAGO and WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – A young entrepreneur who is commercializing a product that cuts down wine waste one bottle at a time is seeing growing interest across the country – both online and from wine tasting rooms.

Ryan Frederickson, a Purdue University chemical engineering graduate from Purdue’s College of Engineering and founder of ArT Wine Preserver, says wine drinkers just spray a small amount of argon, a safe, nontoxic, nonflammable inert gas, into a bottle of wine. It is designed to keep wine in opened, unfinished bottles fresh for weeks by using argon gas to stop the oxidation process.

Sales of his wine preservation product have doubled in the past year, mostly from increased business from Amazon and wine tasting rooms.

The goal is to allow oenophiles to enjoy a glass of wine without feeling the need to finish the bottle in one or two sittings. Opened bottles can spoil in three days, depending on factors such as type, temperature and manner of storage.

“Our mission is to reduce waste, starting with wine,” Frederickson said. “We have put in place new procedures and the way we design the product and packaging to significantly cut down on our waste.”

Wine preservation is a growing industry, and some devices cost several hundred dollars. There also are various other methods of trying to preserve wine, including vacuum systems to extract oxygen from bottles, replacing oxygen in the bottle with nitrogen, and removing wine from the bottle without pulling the cork.

Frederickson said his system is easy because a two-second spray keeps the wine fresh. A can costs less than $20, and discounts apply for buying multiple cans. Frederickson said homeowners will be able to preserve 40 to 50 bottles per can, which contains about 130 doses of argon.

Frederickson, who graduated from Purdue in 2014, says the name of his company comes from argon technology, taking the Ar from the chemical element symbol for argon in the periodic table.

ArT Wine Preserver has received support from the Purdue Foundry, an entrepreneurship and commercialization accelerator managed by the Purdue Research Foundation at the Burton D. Morgan Center for Entrepreneurship at Discovery Park.

The technology aligns with Purdue's Giant Leaps celebration of the university’s global advancements made in sustainability as part of Purdue’s 150th anniversary. It is one of the four themes of the yearlong celebration’s Ideas Festival, designed to showcase Purdue as an intellectual center solving real-world issues.

About Purdue Research Foundation

The Purdue Research Foundation is a private, nonprofit foundation created to advance the mission of Purdue University. Established in 1930, the foundation accepts gifts; administers trusts; funds scholarships and grants; acquires property; protects Purdue's intellectual property; and promotes entrepreneurial activities on behalf of Purdue. The foundation manages the Purdue Foundry, Purdue Office of Technology Commercialization, Purdue Research Park and Purdue Technology Centers. The foundation received the 2016 Innovation and Economic Prosperity Universities Award for Innovation from the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities. For more information about funding and investment opportunities in startups based on a Purdue innovation, contact the Purdue Foundry at foundry@prf.org.

Writer: Chris Adam, 765-588-3341, cladam@prf.org 

Source: Ryan Frederickson, 773-234-9519, ryan@artwinepreservation.com