Does Wine Really Breathe

1
Does Wine Really Breathe?

• Nirmal B. Charan, MD
• Consultant, Pulmonary/Critical Care/Sleep
  Medicine
• VA Medical Center, Boise, Idaho
• and
• Professor of Medicine
• Division of Pulmonary/Critical Care Medicine
• University of Washington
• Seattle, Washington

2
(No Transcript)
3
(No Transcript)
4
(No Transcript)
5
Common Wine Lore

• Wine needs to breathe during various stages of
  its development
• Corks allow wine to breathe
• Wine should be allowed to breathe just before its
  consumption
• Decanting may hasten the process of wine
  breathing by providing a larger wine-to-air
  interface

6
Hypotheses

• The dense structure of cork should not allow any
  gas exchange between air and wine stored in a
  bottle
• The opening and neck of wine bottles are small
  and narrow, therefore diffusional/convectional
  gas exchange between wine and air should be
  minimal
• Decanting may hasten the process of wine breathing

7
Does wine breathe if left undisturbed in an open
bottle?
8
Dissolved oxygen in plasma (Blood temperature
37o C)

• Barometric pressure (sea level) 760 mm/Hg
• PO2 (air) at sea level 0.21 x 760 160 mmHg
• PaO2 (in plasma) at sea level 100 mmHg
• Dissolved oxygen in plasma 0.3 ml/l00 ml

Solubility of oxygen in plasma 0.003
ml/mmHg Dissolved oxygen in plasma 0.3
ml/100 ml 3.0 ml/L
9
Dissolved Oxygen in Wine
Expected dissolved oxygen in wine (at 35o C)
(PO2 33 mmHg) 0.77 ml/750 ml
10
Dissolved Oxygen at Sea Level(Barometric
pressure 760 mmHg)

• Fresh Water
• 20o C 6.8 ml/L
• 35o C 5.5 ml/L
• 40o C 5.2 ml/L

• Sea Water
• 20o C 5.4 ml/L
• 35o C 4.5 ml/L
• 40o C 4.2 ml/L

Expected dissolved oxygen in wine (at 35o C) 5.0
x 0.75 3.75 ml/750 ml
11
(No Transcript)
12
Does swirling change the taste of wine?

• In Italy, 32 subjects tasted swirled and
  un-swirled cabernet wine (unblinded study)
• 3 subjects found no difference between the
  swirled and unswirled wines (excluded)
• In a blind tasting experiment, 27 of the 28
  subjects correctly identified swirled and
  unswirled wines

13
Is it O2 or CO2 which makes the difference?

• Bubbling oxygen in corked wine bottles increased
  PO2 to 430 mm Hg, and PCO2 remained unchanged
• All judges felt a difference in the taste of
  wine with oxygenation
• Swirling of wine after oxygenation, did not make
  any difference in the taste of wine

14
(No Transcript)
15
The Chicago Tribune
16
(No Transcript)
17
(No Transcript)
18

• Does decanting facilitate wine breathing?

19
(No Transcript)
20
Do corks allow wine to breathe?
21
(No Transcript)
22
Cork - SEM
Cells 20x40 µm to 40x60 µm
200 µm
23
Do Corks Allow Breathing?
24

• Serving wine at the right temperature

25
(No Transcript)
26
(No Transcript)
27
(No Transcript)
28
Effect of Wine Glass Holding on Wine Temperature
29
(No Transcript)
30
(No Transcript)
31
(No Transcript)
32
(No Transcript)
33
(No Transcript)
34
Thank You
Nirmal B. Charan