Monday, Dec. 15, 2008

Seattle-based outfitter develops wine preserver

By Eric Degerman, Wine Press Northwest

PlatyPreserve offers the latest approach to preserving an opened bottle of wine. While not elegant, it might be the simplest. And it's quite effective.

What makes it even better is that it's offered by a Seattle company well-known in the hiking community for dependable sporting goods lines such as MSR and Therm-a-Rest.

In 1972, two laid-off Boeing engineers who were outdoor enthusiasts developed the Therm-a-Rest as a sleeping pad for backpackers. They called their company Cascade Designs, Inc.

In 1996, Cascade Designs bought a company that came up with a hydration system for hikers called The Playtpus - a flexible, collapsible and highly portable plastic bladder that's ideal for a backpack.

All those mindless miles I spent on the trail and never did this wine writer consider using the Playtpus as wine vessel, much less as means to preserve wine.

But it makes sense. You merely pour wine into the PlatyPreserve and place the screwcap on loosely. Gently squeeze the air out of the Platy until the wine is just about ready to come out of the top. The concept is akin to a FoodSaver bag for wine. By squeezing the PlatyPreserve before tightening its cap, you've remove virtually all of the air that would normally come into contact with the wine. Oxidation is greatly reduced, and the dark-red bag diminishes exposure to ultraviolet light. (In a clear Platypus for hikers, red wine appears to be blood and white wine akin to a different bodily fluid.)

Among the PlatyPreserve's other features are that it is taste-free, reusable, rinses with just water, is made in the USA and costs just $13 for a 27-ounce bag.

I first used the PlatyPreserve at home for a leftover bottle of delicate Pinot Noir, and I noticed virtually no degradation after three days. I don't know about the claim that it will preserve wine for six months, but I can foresee a week or more. It is the "bag in the box” concept.

I doubt that my PlatyPreserve ever will be used in conjunction with my tried-and-true Platypus drinking tube, but my wife plans on me packing a PlatyPreserve filled with Northwest wine during a 2009 trek at Mount Rainier National Park.

The PlatyPreserve is available at REI stores and online at rei.com.

For information, contact Cascade Designs at cascadedesigns.com.