The platypreserve works as well as it says it does and is a very convenient and economical way to preserve and transport wine.
It works much better than the vacumn pump systems and is much cheaper to buy, operate and maintain than the expensive electronic wine lockers systems or even the argon gas system.
Cons:
* You have to be somewhat physically capable of squeezing the platybag while simultaneously screwing the cap on without shooting wine all over yourself.
* It''s not the classiest way to serve wine. But if you''ve got company, it''s most likely that you would open a new bottle anyways.
* The platy-bags resemble detergent/shampoo refills in Europe.
* Some people cannot mentally accept wine out of a bag.
* Bag is not opaque to prevent light detriorating the wine.
Pros:
* Preserves wine better than all other affordable systems.
* Can be used as a safe and lightweight way to bring wine while traveling, hiking.
* Space-saving design excellent for small fridges where a normal bottle would not fit. (Can be safely stored on its side)
There is no plastic taste or scent and the wine seems to be perfectly preserved for a week. (Haven''t tested it for longer). As the platybag is not opaque, keeping it in a cool dark place would further prevent sunlight from deteriorating the wine.
Recommended for: singles living alone, couples who like to drink different wines, travelers, spacesavers, picnicers.
I use mine almost every day. I am surprised that the bag is still holding up well, I have used it a lot. It keeps the wine fresh for a week or two depending on how much you open it and how good of a job you do of getting all the air out. If you pour a bottle of wine in it and get all the air out and you don''t open it then I think the wine will be totally good for 2 weeks, maybe more. I told the company that makes the Platypus that they should put a one way valve on top of it instead of the screw cap. To close it up you need to put the cap on partially so that air can be squeezed out of the bag but, don''t let the cap be too loose. Then squeeze the air out, when you get a little wine coming out of the top, tighten the cap the rest of the way. It takes a little practice to get good at it but you can do it unless you''re not good at doing things. Do it over the sink because you will probably spill a little.
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We came to find the PlatyPreseve bags when we decided to take a home wine course and had to open 3 or 4 pricey bottles at one time. The problem is obvious not that we didn''t want to drink it all, lol. So after using these for a year, here''s what we think:
1. The bags are BPA safe and very sturdy. They seal well and are easy to clean. BTW, the instructions say "no soap" for good reason. Use soap and you may have an aftertaste if you don''t rinse them repeatedly.
This is no problem because the material used is non-staining, semi-stiff and doesn''t seem to absorb wine or color. We always wash them right after we finish the wine just fill two or three times with fresh water, agitate, pour out, and leave them in the dishrack to drain, cap down. Works well.
2. They seal well. There is no need to "crank down" the caps, they seal reliably by just snugging them down lightly.
3. They pour safely and easily. One poster had trouble pouring wine, but it''s actually easy. Just support the bag in one hand, just under the cap with the other. The bag is semi-rigid and this works every time. Takes two hands, that''s all. You can''t pour with one hand.
4. Filling is best done with a small funnel, but in a pinch you can fill the bag without spillage if you use the same technique as for pouring, except this time the bottom corner of the bag is supported by the table, and the top with one hand. Of course the other hand holds and pours from the wine bottle.
Just lightly support the opening of the wine bottle on the bag opening, with a slight overlap. The bag is supported, and you simply pour slowly.
5. One problem you may have is expelling the air when there is not much wine left in the bag. Platy describes a technique, and we do it this way. Bag sideways, cap up and screwed on loosely (to let air out). Push the sideways bag, sideways against a flat vertical surface with the flat of your hand, applying pressure first to the bottom of the bag, then forcing the wine up toward the opening.
When the wine has almost filled the entire opening, then just use your other hand to snug the cap, and voila! You may spill a drop or two, but not ususally and this removes all the air, or nearly so.
Bottom line: a lovely, effective system. We''ve tossed these bags into our cooler for the beach, in the fridge for extended storage, etc. Have dropped a few from chest height. They are indescructable. Oh, and we like that they are clear, but still number them so we can remember what wine is in which bag.
Great product. I see them for $8 to $10 each, $27 to 29 for four. We got four.
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I have figured for a long time the perfect wine preserver would be a refillable version of the "box of wine", Since I haven''t been able to find such a thing, this seemed to be the closest in concept. As other reviewers have noted, this is not the easiest thing to fill unless you have a funnel. Ok, so you CAN get it filled, but then you have the problem that every time you want to close it you have to precariously squeeze it so that all the air comes out, but you don''t wind up with a wine fountain. If you master that, and then how to quickly put the lid on tightly while still holding it with the wine at the brim, you sit it down and watch as the poor seal still allows air to get back in. If it just had a TAP near the bottom, you could fill and seal it once, and then wine would only come out through the tap and no air go back in. Now that would be convenient. I would recommend a tried and true boda bag over this thing. I used it once and it will either go in the trash, or maybe into the glove box for an emergency water tote.
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My mother is the avid camper and also wine lover. I got this 4 pack as a Christmas gift and she really loved it! No longer does she have to worry about carrying glass into the woods , or losing the quality/flavor of wine by placing it into something else. Also these are re-usable so they have a positive effect on the environment.
I ordered two of these water bottles for my sons for stockin stuffers. The one works great, the other the spout was always stuck and my son, 4, could never open it. I wish I could give it 2.5 because I love the working one but wish the other one had worked as well.
