amount of entrained CO2 wouldn’t be particularly detectable, anyway. In the n2Vin
system, if the gas introduced into the headspace contains a CO2 component, the gas
molecules within the headspace and wine reach equilibrium and wines will be dispensed
with a higher level of dissolved CO2 than they would with a nitrogen-only preservation
gas.
This certainly does not mean you are going to ‘carbonate’ your wines. Doing so requires
pressures above 14psig before reaching a forced absorption level of CO2. n2Vin
operates only around 4psig. But the fact remains that liquids interact molecularly with the
gasses above and in contact with them. (That’s why we’re here in the first place - to
reduce or eliminate that degenerative interaction with oxygen, right?) So with a
negligible effect on Reds and an improved stabilization effect on young Whites, if you
plan on long-hold Whites, an n2/CO2 blend may serve well. If your primary focus is Reds,
as is generally the case with these systems, nitrogen is all you need!
Because of its commercial exploitability, those who sell Argon, tout an unsupportable
(snake-oil) benefit of Argon over Nitrogen that bears some discussion. The ‘logical’
appeal of their argument lies in the fact that Argon is heavier than air and ‘air’ is +/- 80%
Nitrogen. The picture spun is that this heavy Argon gas ‘blankets’ the surface of the wine
like a parfait. The reality is that all gasses are continuously blending, dissipating, into a
mixture of themselves. There is no ground-level layer of Argon gas hugging the street
simply because it is a heavier molecule. In fact, CO2 is actually an appreciably heavier
gas than Argon! Even with the most sophisticated laminar-flow equipment designed to
introduce gasses in strata, it’s a very short-term effect in the presence of any other gas.
All gasses mix with each other. Because n2Vin easily connects to Argon cylinders as it
does to Nitrogen, so you can experiment with gas options.
“Sparging” is a term used in the wine industry to connote flushing air out of a vat to halt
maturation and/or prevent oxygen degeneration of the wine in the container. The same
beneficial technology was introduced in a micro-scale to the wine bottling industry
several decades ago. Just before cork insertion, several jets of nitrogen are aimed into
the bottle neck to displace (most) active, atmospheric gasses with an inert gas with the
specific purpose of optimizing shelf life of the bottle. In close mechanical synchronization,
as the nitrogen is jetted into and fills the ullage, the cork is pressed home to effect a seal.
Though not necessary in most cases, n2Vin will permit similar sparging if the operator
chooses to do so. Simply turn the gas valve on the Bottle Head ON as you are inserting
the Bottle Head into the bottle. Nitrogen, then, is flowing directly down into the bottle,
pushing most of the ambient air out around the untightened seal. And notice, too, that
the physical dimensions of the Bottle Head Stem also fill most of that space! By the time
you turn the Compression Wheel most of the oxygenated air will have been expelled
leaving a very clean, non-degenerative headspace gas. While sparging may represent
the best of the best practices, it will use more n2. Consider as well that the minor amount
of oxygenated air remaining in that very small headspace will be readily converted to
innocuous compounds by the natural and additive sulfites in most wines.
Oenorganiphiles, particularly, may want to consider opening the n2 valve before sealing
the bottle head.
n2Vin’s closed, inert gas preservation design allows your wines to be opened once and,
then, remain still and sealed until you’ve consumed them. This is the only preservation
design approach than offers this superior benefit. Please do not combine the use of gas
canister spritzers or vacuum devices with n2Vin. Spritzers and vacuum pumps do not offer
much more in the way of preservation benefit than the sulfites in the wine already afford.