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n
2
Vin
Setup and Operations Manual © 2008
3
n2Vin User Guide and Installation/Setup Manual
Congratulations! Your new professional quality
n
2
Vin
® winebar will greatly enrich your
wine appreciation experience. This refrigerated, sealed, inert-gas-based wine
preservation and serving equipment is designed for the highest quality management of
your opened wines, whether used commercially or personally.
Introduction
By way of introduction to your new equipment, we would like to discuss the
fundamentals of wine preservation equipment by exploring the most frequently asked
question:
“How long will my wines last after opening and being placed in n2Vin?”
The answer is dependent upon a number of variables that can limit or extend the life of
your opened bottles. As a rule, with n2Vin, you should be able to rely on a window
between four and eight weeks.
Reasons for this range include the type and condition of wines put into the system, the
handling of those wines prior to being put in the system and the quality of the gases used
for preservation.
Though there are exceptions, when you consider the nature of the wine itself, the vast
majority of older vintage bottles are Reds. Reds simply hold up better, or, perhaps, better
put, the desirable attributes of Red Wines maintain and often improve over time. Whites,
as a rule, are typically made for consumption with 1-3 years of their production.
When you open a bottle, put n2Vin’s Bottle Head into the neck, and seal it, you have
done very little that is different from the professional handling of some of the world’s most
precious vintages – some of which you may, in fact, own. Because of their natural cork
closures, many old bottles suffer from seal degeneration and will be opened, topped off,
and re-corked to be cellared to grow in value for many years to come. Prior to re-
corking, a quick flush or sparge of nitrogen (n2) gas is introduced into the bottle above
the wine to expel as much oxygen-bearing air from the headspace as possible. In doing
so, the act of ‘topping off’ a vintage bottle exposes the wine being poured to more
oxygen than n2Vin ever will!
Inert gas preservation systems do not medicate the wine. The gasses merely displace
oxygen-rich air and provide pressure for dispensing the wine as the bottles remain
sealed.
Though n2Vin can use nitrogen, argon, and blends of either or both with CO2, the most
practical gas is, has been, and always will be just plain nitrogen. n2/CO2 blends
(commercially known as ‘beer-gas’ and/or ‘G-mix’) appear to offer an edge in longevity
for some Whites and a few really young, thin Reds. The reason for this is that CO2 occurs
naturally in the fermentation process in all wines, and, in some, imparts an integral,
refreshing ‘tang’ and crispness to the palate - especially in fresh, citrusy, un-oaked whites.
You’ll often see tiny bubbles of entrained gas rising from the bottom of a room-temp
glass when filled with a White. Being more opaque, you don’t see it in most Reds.
Moreover, it often isn’t there in anywhere near the same representation or significance.
Because of the dominance of the stronger sensory impact of tannins in Reds, a small