This Kitchen Gadget Keeps Your Wine Fresh for Practically Forever

We’ve all reached that point at the end of the night where there’s a little wine left in the bottle, but nobody wants another glass. Although you can use it in one of these tasty dishes, recorking that bottle won’t keep the wine very fresh if you want to drink the rest tomorrow. And no one likes seeing good wine go to waste.

That’s where the Vacu Vin comes in. This brilliant wine preservation system definitely deserves space in your kitchen drawer. Here’s why.

What is the Vacu Vin?

This nifty little gadget is a two-piece wine preservation system. The first part is a stopper which you place into your open bottle of wine. The second is a vacuum pump which you use to remove the air from inside the wine bottle. That’s it! How’s that for easy to use?

But just how well does the Vacu Vin work? Users rave how it “keeps white or red wine so fresh for the next use” and how it’s great to help “preserve a bottle of wine two or three times if you just drink one glass.” In fact, many Taste of Home staffers have a Vacu Vin at home, too. (Here are more gadgets our Test Kitchen loves.)

Even the professionals love the Vacu Vin. When I worked in restaurants as a sommelier, we always kept these gadgets handy to keep our by-the-glass wines fresh.

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How does it work?

There are several major pros to this handy little tool.

• The Vacu Vin is easy to use. Just pop the stopper onto your wine bottle, place the vacuum pump over it and vacuum out the air! (Think backwards basketball pump.) Just stop when it makes a clicking noise. It works on most standard-sized bottles whether they have a cork or screwcap closure.

• It’s inexpensive. Unlike some other wine preservation systems, the Vacu Vin is incredibly affordable—less than $13.

• They’re perfect for non-bubbly wines, whether it’s a bottle or red, white or rose you’re looking to stash for later.

• If you’re on the hunt for an affordable gift to give the wine lover in your life, a Vacu Vin wouldn’t go amiss. Especially if presented alongside a bottle of wine! (Not sure which type of red wine to buy? Here’s our red wine guide, from sweet to dry.)

A few final Vacu Vin tips:

If you aren’t planning on drinking the wine in the next day or so, be sure to give it an occasional vacuum to remove any air that’s entered the bottle. While the stoppers are generally good at keeping air out, the longer you leave the wine alone, the more likely that some air will make its way into the bottle and oxidize your wine faster. And don’t forget to stick your wine in the fridge! It’ll prolong the life of your vino.

If you’re looking for an excuse to sit down and enjoy a glass of wine with dinner, here are some easy food and wine pairing everyone should know about.