I am thinking about giving a neighbor a bottle of wine. In addition to wiping it down I was thinking about running it through my UV unit (that I use to clean my CPAP but is large enough for a bottle of wine). I am seeking opinions on whether it would harm the wine (intended to be consumed in the near term). Thanks in advance.
Probably not in the near term but it’s also probably
not necessary.
You’re giving it to the neighbor?
What is the sequence of events - put it into the UV to kill any germs that you have then take it over to the neighbor?
In that case, what would be the point of running it through the UV?
Actually in any case, what would be the point? If he’s concerned about your germs, he can always wipe down the bottle, or even better, just let it sit for a few days and then wipe it down.
I agree with Michael.
No idea what your UV puts out, but if you’re interested in the effects of UV on wine, here’s a pretty interesting article by a company that focuses on exactly that:
http://www.wrap.org.uk/sites/files/wrap/UV%20&%20wine%20quality%20May'08.pdf
That article says:
“Light-strike damage will occur under normal artificial lighting [presumably fluorescent] and this may be the principal mode of exposure for many wines. Artificial lighting can produce a discernable change in wine bottled in clear glass within a few hours.”
It says that common green bottles allow only about 20% of the damaging light that clear glass does. But I’d guess your UV lamp must put out way more than 5x the UV of “normal artificial lighting.” That would suggest that the potential damage is greater than the damage to clear bottle under tube lights.
Which makes your idea sound pretty risky, Scott.
FDA on Cpap cleaning machines: https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/fda-reminds-patients-devices-claiming-clean-disinfect-or-sanitize-cpap-machines-using-ozone-gas-or
Wash the bottle with soap and water. Even warm water won’t change the temp of the wine.
If it’s a bottle in your cellar, just put on gloves to pull it out and deliver, or use a paper towel and tell the recipient what you’ve done so they don’t have to worry about it. or they can wait 3-4 days before drinking it.
If it’s a bottle in your cellar, just put on gloves to pull it out and deliver, or use a paper towel and tell the recipient what you’ve done so they don’t have to worry about it. or they can wait 3-4 days before drinking it.
Makes perfect sense. Also what Jim said.
That’s really scary if people are using these things that aren’t doing them any good.