Wine is one of the oldest drinks known to man. It is also the second most consumed alcoholic beverage in the US. It is used in many applications from cooking to socialization. While letting a bottle breathe is essential to bringing out the flavors of a wine, too much exposure degrades the flavor and decreases its shelf life. So the question becomes how do you preserve that great flavor once it is open. the answer is the Vacu Vin wine stopper. Using this in combination with the Vacu Vin Pump which is NOT INCLUDED allows you to seal your wine bottles with a vacuum by removing air from the wine bottle. The bottles also must be stored upright once the stopper is in place.