Comments on: Rhode Island Passes Merlot-To-Go

By: Mike

Mike — Fri, 23 Jun 2006 23:55:35 +0000

Ah, I missed the keyword “argon”. Yeah, that’d be awesome, though I wonder if any restaurants are actually doing it. My impression is they’re simply sticking the cork back in and putting the bottles in tamper-proof bags. It certainly wouldn’t be all that expensive, especially considering the markup on wines. In fact, I have a bottle of inert gas I use at home.

By: Rick Dobbs

Rick Dobbs — Fri, 23 Jun 2006 21:13:39 +0000

Good wines that are opened then vacuum pumped or use an inert gas (such as Argon) to fill the bottle then re-sealed can retain their initial flavor for a week or more. So, it’s definitely not gone once it’s opened. So, I can buy a $200 bottle and enjoy it for a few days, something I may not do if I know I won’t be drinking the whole bottle on the night I order it.

By: Mike

Mike — Fri, 23 Jun 2006 20:14:54 +0000

I tend to agree with you that it’ll likely reduce drunk driving, though it’d be nice to see empirical evidence supporting this.

I hadn’t thought of the bottle thing, though I imagine that you’d be allowed to take home an empty bottle regardless as a keepsake. I don’t see much of a point in taking home a quality wine, as once it’s open, it’s gone anyway. I think of it as more a way to reduce waste.

By: Rick Dobbs

Rick Dobbs — Fri, 23 Jun 2006 01:31:52 +0000

Maybe it can reduce drunk driving. People may not feel pressured to finish the bottle if they know they can take it home.

I think some restaurants might even be able to sell some higher-priced wines because of it as well. Throw a little Argon in there with a disposable plug and people may drop some extra cash on a bottle.