Plum Debuts First Super-Automatic Wine Appliance

Plum, a new company transforming how wine is enjoyed with the first ever super-automatic wine appliance, today debuts its flagship product that enables a premium wine-by-the-glass experience, just as the winemaker intended. A sophisticated marriage of haute technology and elegant design, Plum automatically identifies the wine, individually chills each bottle, and preserves the wine so it can be enjoyed one glass at a time.

Plum’s molded, brushed stainless steel shell curves around the device, providing a sophisticated aesthetic that is at home in kitchens, living rooms and wet bars. Inside, Plum holds two standard 750ml bottles with any closure – natural cork, artificial cork, engineered cork, and even metal screw caps.

Plum preserves each wine for up to 90 days without removing the cork, and serves each wine at the perfect temperature for that varietal, transforming wine lovers’ enjoyment from by-the-bottle to by-the-glass.

Plum is, perhaps, the most sophisticated household appliance ever made. Each wine bottle is automatically identified by an integrated computer and cameras, and the labels appear on a full-color, seven-inch touchscreen that allows users to enjoy a taste or a glass of either wine at a touch.

Plum is ideal for singles, households divided between red and white, foodies who appreciate food and wine pairings, hosts who frequently entertain, and for those who just want to enjoy a special bottle – one glass at a time.

“Wine has not kept up with our lifestyles. Most of us want to enjoy a glass of wine after work, pair a glass of wine with food, or be a great host and offer guests an option of red or white,” said David Koretz, Founder & CEO, Plum.  “Too often I found myself not finishing a bottle and pouring oxidized wine down the drain, or not opening the bottle at all because I didn’t want to waste it. So I created Plum to enable wine lovers to enjoy the perfect glass of wine. Their wine collection, on their terms.”

World renowned winemaker Mark Aubert, Proprietor at Aubert Wines says, “Plum’s design and technology show it was developed by someone who knows and loves wine. Plum is going to appeal to those who care about every glass of wine they drink.  The attention to detail is amazing and it’s damned good looking too.”

Cam Baker, Proprietor at Larkmead Vineyards says, “At Larkmead, we strive to ensure that every glass of wine our customers experience is perfect. Oxidation and temperature pose two threats to any wine. Plum solves both, ensuring each glass tastes exactly as we intended when making it. Plum is going to revolutionize how consumers enjoy wine at home.”  And, Master Sommelier Desmond Echavarrie states,

“The brilliance of Plum is how simple it is and how incredibly well it preserves wine, allowing you to have the perfect glass anytime.  You never waste a drop and don’t feel pressured into finishing the bottle…ever. This is what serious wine lovers need!”

How it Works

• Users simply place two 750ml bottles of wine inside Plum. They don’t need to remove the foil or closure. The bottle rests at a 55-degree angle, letting sediment collect in the shoulder of the bottle and not in the glass.
• Plum’s automated wine identification photographs each wine label and automatically recognizes the vintage, varietal, region, winery and wine from a database of more than six million wines.
• The serving temperature for each varietal is automatically set for any of the 220 commercially-available wine varietals and blends. Integrated solid state cooling silently chills each bottle to the perfect serving temperature.
• A motorized, double-cored needle pierces the closure and pressurizes the bottle of wine with argon gas, which keeps oxygen out without affecting the wine. The needle stays in the bottle and the bottle remains pressurized until empty, preventing any oxygen from entering the system. The patent-pending needle-in-a-needle design is able to pierce any closure including natural cork, artificial cork, engineered cork, and even metal screw caps.
• Stainless steel tubing, just like those used in winemaking, and an electronic seal keep the wine perfectly preserved, delivering it directly from the bottle into the glass at the touch of a button.
• Plum’s included argon canister holds more than 200 bottles worth of preservation, at only $0.05 per glass. Environmentally friendly, the refillable canister only needs to be changed every 18 months, on average.
• Plum’s integrated WiFi and web application automatically keeps track of users’ wine history, and allows them to see what friends, sommeliers and winemakers are drinking.

Source: Plum

• Wine