EP0234645A1

EP0234645A1 - Decanting device for wine

Info

Publication number: EP0234645A1
Application number: EP87200224A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Cornelis Bosman
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1986-02-11
Filing date: 1987-02-11
Publication date: 1987-09-02
Anticipated expiration: 2007-02-11
Also published as: GR3000572T3; ATE52743T1; ES2017699B3; NL8600330A; DE3762729D1; EP0234645B1

Abstract

A device for decanting wine from a bottle into a receptacle. The device comprises a first tube element (9) and a second (19), effectively longer tube element, both having an inlet and an outlet. The outlet of the first tube element is coupled to the inlet of the second tube element. A cylinder element (8) is placed about the first tube element at least along part of the length thereof. The cylinder element has an inner diameter larger than the outer diameter of the first tube element and such that at the end proximal to the outlet of said first tube element, the interior wall of the cylinder element is in sealing relationship with the first tube element. The cylinder element includes external sealing means at the end proximal to the inlet of the first tube element to enable the cylinder element to be fixed in the neck of a bottle in sealing relationship therewith. The cylinder element has an inlet intermediate the interior and exterior seals.

Description

This invention relates to a decanting device for decanting wine from a bottle into a receptacle, for example, a decanter or carafe. The invention relates in particular to decanting old red wine from a bottle into a carafe without thereby entraining sediment present at the bottom of the bottle.
Old red wine has a sediment at the bottom of the bottle in which the old red wine is stored. This sediment is less suitable for human consumption and when mingled with the wine detracts from the wine's quality. The bottom layer which contains the sediment should therefore be prevented from being mixed with the clear remainder of the wine as the wine is poured. For this purpose, it is customary for the wine, prior to consumption, to be first carefully poured from the bottle into a carafe, leaving the sediment layer in the bottle. This process is called decanting. Decanting may be quite some problem to the inexperienced wine drinker and pourer, so that sediment is yet entrained into the carafe, or too much wine remains behind in the bottle. But also somewhat more experienced wine drinkers and pourers, such as waiters, tend to make mistakes during decanting, for example, due to rush of business in restaurants. The result is often that, out of sheer caution, much good wine remains behind in the bottle during decanting, which greatly diminishes the output of the bottle.
It is an object of the present invention to remedy the difficulties outlined above and to provide a decanting device with which wine can be decanted in a simple and efficient manner.
For this purpose a decanting device of the above kind is characterized, according to the invention, by comprising a first tube element and a second, effectively longer tube element, both having an inlet and an outlet, the outlet of the first tube element being coupled to the inlet of the second tube element, a cylinder element placed about the first tube element at least along part of the length thereof, the cylinder element having an inner diameter larger than the outer diameter of the first tube element and such that at the end proximal to the outlet of said first tube element, the interior wall of said cylinder element is in sealing relationship with said first tube element, the cylinder element including external sealing means at the end proximal to the inlet of the first tube element to enable said cylinder element to be fixed in the neck of a bottle in sealing relationship therewith, and said cylinder element having an inlet intermediate the interior and exterior seals.
One embodiment of the decanting device according to the present invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings. In said drawings,

Fig.1 shows an embodiment of a decanting device according to the present invention, placed in a bottle, and arranged to discharge into a carafe; and
Fig.2 shows a detail of the device illustrated in Fig.1.

In a bottle 1 of old red wine, there is, in addition to clear wine 2 a layer of sediment 3 on the bottom 4 of bottle 1. Placed in the neck 5 of bottle 1, as best shown in Fig.2,is a stopper 6, which may be made, for example, of cork, rubber or synthetic plastics. This stopper is in full surface-to-surface contact with the interior wall of neck 5. Secured in a bore 7 of stopper 6 is a cylinder element 8. This cylinder element 8 is, in turn, in full surface-to-surface contact with the stopper to provide an air-tight seal. Placed in cylinder element 8 is a first tube element 9. Tube element 9 has an exterior diameter smaller than the interior diameter of cylinder element 8.
To provide an air-tight seal at the top, an O-shaped seal 10 is provided, which is elastically fixed in an internal groove 11 of the cylinder element. This seal 10 also provides for a radial support of tube elements 9, within cylinder element 8. In addition, the seal provides for some axial friction, so that the tube element does not tend to slide down cylinder element 8. A result similar to that of the O-ring can also be achieved, for that matter, by means of a bored cap or stopper on cylinder element 8. Tube element 9 can thus be adjusted for the proper level of its inlet 12 within the bottle. The depth of inlet 12 can simply be changed by sliding tube element 9 within cylinder element 8. This only requires overcoming the friction dictated by seal 10. To take this axial longitudinal movement, ring 10 is preferably fully elastic and made, for example, of a rubber or synthetic plastics material. Formed in cylinder element 8 intermediate stopper 6 and ring 10 is an inlet 13. Secured in inlet 13, which by means of the interspace between the outer wall of tube element 9 and the inner wall of cylinder element 8 communicates with the interior of the bottle, is a blowpipe 14. At the end of blowpipe 14 a bellows 15 is mounted. By operating the bellows, an elevated pressure can be produced in the bottle through blowpipe 14 and inlet 13. It should be noted, for that matter, that blowpipe 14 and bellows 15 are not essential for this purpose. It may suffice to have just the inlet or an inlet with a blowpipe. In that case air can be blown into the inlet or the blowpipe by mouth. If, however, the insufflation of air by mouth is experienced as less pleasant or is undesirable, bellows 15 or other compression means, such as a suction pump, can be used.
Secured to the first tube element 9 is a flexible connector element 16 which connects the output 17 to the inlet 18 of a second tube element 19. In this example, the first and the second tube element 9,19 are both rigid and made, for example,of metal or glass, and the desirable relative flexibility is obtained by means of the flexible connector element 16, which, for example, is made of a synthetic plastics material. It will be clear, for that matter, that the first and/or the second tube element 9, 19 may be made flexible in full or in part, and that the first and the second tube element may also be integrated to form one element. The only important feature in this connection as regards the principle of the operation of the decanting device is that the effective length of the second tube element should be larger than that of the first tube element, that is to say, that the vertical distance of the highest point of the pipe system from the outlet of the second tube element must exceed the vertical distance of the highest point from the inlet of the first tube element.
In this example a collar 20 is provided on tube element 9 which serves as a stop against the upper end of cylinder element 8 to limit the maximum depth of insertion of tube element 9 to prevent that wine should yet by inadvertancy be siphoned over at sediment level. Naturally, this collar 20 can be secured to tube element 9 so as to be adjustable, for example, for adaptation to bottle dimensions.
The operation of the wine siphon is as follows. After bottle 1 has been uncorked and the decanting device has been fixed relatively to the bottle by means of stopper 6, the first tube element 9 can be adjusted to the desired depth in bottle 1. It is preferable for the inlet 12 of the first tube element 9 to be always held just below the wine level in the bottle. This also applies, therefore, as the level in the bottle i slowly lowered as a result of the decanting. It is preferable,therefore, for the first tube element 9 to be pushed downwards through cylinder element 8 slowly and stepwise and to be lowered into the bottle to just above the level of the sediment. The provision of a collar 20 may come in very handy here. Naturally, it is not necessary for the inlet of the first tube element to be always kept just below the liquid level, but this prevents turbulent flow in the bottle. Such turbulences tend to arise when an intermediate layer of the wine column is drawn away and the superjacent part of the column sinks. In particular when there is a relatively small remaining wine column in the bottle, there is the risk that there will be turbulence in the layer of sediment, whereby the sediment will swirl up and mingle with the wine.
When, in addition, the second tube element 19 has been placed with its outlet 22 in a carafe 21, decanting can be started. It suffices to blow air into inlet 13 or blowpipe 14 for this purpose or to press bellows 15 one or more times. This will create an elevated pressure in the bottle above the wine level. As the bottle is sealed in an air-tight fashion by means of the stopper and the seal in the cylinder element, this elevated air pressure can only be compensated for by forcing wine into the tube elements. When the entire pipe system, the first tube element 9, the second tube element 19 and connector tube 16 are completely filled, the stream will be self-perpetuating due to siphoning action, provided outlet 22 of the second tube element 19 is at a lower level than the inlet 12 of the first tube element 9.
The user of the decanting device only needs to control the position of the inlet 12 of the first element in relation to the wine level in the bottle. At the maximum depth adjusted by means of the collar, or by hand, the decanting device will automatically stop after the wine surrounding the inlet has been siphoned off. There is thus provided an extremely user-friendly and highly accurate means for pouring old wine without sediment.
It is noted that various modifications of the decanting device described will readily occur to those skilled in the art after reading the above. Thus, for example, the inlet of the first tube element may be arranged at an angle to a radial plane of the tube element. This will ensure that the inlet of the first element is automatically kept at a minimum distance from the bottom so that the first tube can be pushed right down to the bottom of the bottle without any objections. A stop collar is therefore unnecessary in that case. Another effect of this oblique inlet is that the wine is drawn in more laterally and less from below, so that vortices in the vicinity of the bottle bottom in a horizontal and particularly vertical direction are prevented. The same effect can also be obtained, for example, by closing the end of the first tube and making radial inlets in its wall at the end of the tube. Such a strong lateral intake is also obtained with a first tube whose end is open, but in which one or more further axial slots are made in the wall of the tube end. Such modifications are deemed to fall within the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A decanting device for decanting wine from a bottle into a receptacle, characterized by comprising a first tube element and a second effectively longer tube element, both having an inlet and an outlet, the outlet of the first tube element being coupled to the inlet of the second tube element, a cylinder element placed about the first tube element at least along part of the length thereof, the cylinder element having an inner diameter larger than the outer diameter of the first tube element and such that at the end proximal to the outlet of said first tube element, the interior wall of said cylinder element is in sealing relationship with said first tube element, the cylinder element including external sealing means at the end proximal to the inlet of the first tube element to enable said cylinder element to be fixed in the neck of a bottle in sealing relationship therewith, and said cylinder element having an inlet intermediate the interior and exterior seals.

2. A decanting device as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the first tube element is slidable in the cylinder element.

3. A decanting device as claimed in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the interior wall of the cylinder element is in sealing relationship with the first tube element by means of an O-ring.

4. A decanting device as claimed in claim 3, characterized in that the O-ring is elastically confined in a groove in the interior wall of the cylinder element.

5. A decanting device as claimed in any of claims 1-4, characterized in that the exterior sealing means is a stopper having a round radial cross-sectional configuration and an axial bore, said stopper being placed about said cylinder element in sealing relationship therewith.

6. A decanting device as claimed in claim 5, characterized in that the circumferential wall of the stopper tapers conically in the direction of the inlet of the first tube element.

7. A decanting device as claimed in claim 5 or 6, characterized in that the stopper is made of cork.

8. A decanting device as claimed in any of claims 1-7, characterized in that the inlet of the cylinder element is fitted with a blowpipe.

9. A decanting device as claimed in any of claims 1-8, characterized by a bellows connected to the inlet of the cylinder element or to said blowpipe.

10. A decanting device as claimed in any of claims 1-9, characterized by the first and/or the second tube element being at least partly of flexible form.

11. A decanting device as claimed in any of claims 1-10, characterized in that the first and the second tube element are coupled together by means of a flexible third tube element.

12. A decanting device as claimed in any of claims 1-11, characterized by a collar on the circumference of the first tube element as a stop for the cylinder element.

13. A decanting device as claimed in claim 12, characterized in that said collar is slidable and fixable on said first tube element.