Item: PEK Preservino

ITEM TYPE: Wine/Spirits Preservation System
MAKER: PEK
COST: $39 – $49 U.S.  (plus shipping) depending on box

Overview: Portable and/or nonspace intensive wine/spirit preservation system especially compared to some of those cabinet models.Uses argon gas (more inert than nitrogen)to remove/reduce oxygen and the resulting oxidation.While designed for preserving wine we couldn’t help but try it on distilled spirits.

Appearance: Euro styled pieces, looks like some sort of small butane torch. Comes in a small box (metal or rosewood) that keeps all the pieces organized. Only drawback is that it is all plastic so feels a bit light even though it seems durable enough.

First Impression: Easy-to-read and understand directions with pictures (always important for men) inside of lid. Easy-to-set up and use, doesn’t take up more space than a fancy corkscrew.

Testing: We followed the simple directions, which is basically inserting the stoppers into our test bottles,purging the oxygen, then twisting the ring/seal closed .Then we compared the bottles with our control samples after a week with the wine and 3 months for the spirits. In the wine tests there was a marked difference (the control had to be used for salad dressing) and a distinct difference in the spirits (we used half empty bottles of a somewhat fragile liqueur and a single malt) in that they seemed much fresher when preserved with the Preservino than the controls.

The only negatives was it did not work on bottles with narrower necks than normal – but that is a minor point – and the cost of extra stoppers ($8 each) which could add up very quickly if you have a spirits collection of any size although you could try to get away with using the bottle’s existing cap with a slight degradation in sealing – your choice.

Final Thoughts: A lot easier to use than some of the systems out there and the use of argon gas rather than the more common nitrogen definitely makes a difference in increasing the shelf life of your open bottles.Well worth the investment if you want to keep your wine or spirits in as close to top condition as possible for a period of time. Definitely buys you some more time with your favorite bottle.

Web site: www. peksystems.com