Merlot, rosé, pinot noir? Doesn’t matter, Purdue grad has system to keep opened bottles fresh after holiday parties

Ryan Frederickson, a Purdue chemical engineering graduate and founder of ArT Wine Preservation, says sales of his wine preservation product have tripled in the past year. . ArT Wine Preservation allows wine drinkers to spray a small amount of argon, a safe non-toxic, non-flammable inert gas, into a bottle of wine to keep it fresh. (Image provided) Download image

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – A Purdue University graduate is toasting the eagerness of oenophiles to keep wine fresh in opened bottles, especially with the parties and get-togethers people will have with the holiday season upon us.

Ryan Frederickson, a Purdue chemical engineering graduate and founder of ArT Wine Preservation, said this month that online sales are up 300 percent over a year ago and he is testing a new retail version of his product for a future expansion into brick and mortar stores.

“People are looking for ways to keep wine fresh. They’re tired of pouring wine that has gone stale down the drain,” he said. “We’ve found a solution.”

That solution is using argon gas to stop the oxidation process. Wine preservation is a growing industry, and some devices cost several hundred dollars. ArT Wine Preservation allows wine drinkers to spray a small amount of argon, a safe non-toxic, non-flammable inert gas, into a bottle of wine.

Argon is heavier than oxygen so it forms a blanket over the wine to prevent oxidation, sealing in the flavor and aroma. Wineries use argon to protect large vats of high-quality wine from oxidation before bottling.   

This innovation aligns with Purdue's Giant Leaps celebrating the university’s global advancements made in health, space, artificial intelligence and sustainability highlights as part of Purdue’s 150th anniversary. Those are the four themes of the yearlong celebration’s Ideas Festival, designed to showcase Purdue as an intellectual center solving real-world issues.

Frederickson said his system is easy because a two-second spray keeps the wine fresh. A spray can costs less than $20, with discounts for buying multiple cans. Frederickson said there are about 130 doses of argon per can.

He said positive online reviews and high ratings have been key to growing his business.  

“In the last year we’ve gotten to be a top bar product on Amazon. We did that by focusing on one channel and making sure we make Amazon customers happy before pursuing other sales channels,” Frederickson said. “Now they are interested in retailing it.”  

Although the company started as a side project for Frederickson, he realized the potential behind it. It is now a company that serves both individual customers as well as wineries and vineyards. ArT Wine Preservation is sold both through the company’s website and on Amazon.

ArT Wine Preservation has received support from the Purdue Foundry, a commercialization accelerator in the Burton D. Morgan Center for Entrepreneurship in Purdue’s Discovery Park, through workshops, entrepreneurial mentorship, helping him to focus on a successful business plan and with funding to gather data from potential customers.

Orders for Art Wine Preservation can be placed at https://www.artwinepreservation.com.

About Purdue Foundry

The Purdue Foundry is an entrepreneurship and commercialization accelerator in Discovery Park's Burton D. Morgan Center for Entrepreneurship whose professionals help Purdue innovators create startups. Managed by the Purdue Research Foundation, the Purdue Foundry was co-named a top recipient at the 2016 Innovation and Economic Prosperity Universities Designation and Awards Program by the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities for its work in entrepreneurship. For more information about funding and investment opportunities in startups based on a Purdue innovation, contact the Purdue Foundry at foundry@prf.org.

Writer: Zeina Kayyali, zmkayyali@prf.org

Purdue Research Foundation contact: Tom Coyne, 765-588-1044, tjcoyne@prf.org

Source: Ryan Frederickson, 773-234-9519, ryan@artwinepreservation.com