Experimental wine bottle tracks oxygen moving through the cork

French researchers designed experimental glass tubes mimicking wine bottle necks and used fluorescent sensors to track oxygen movement through corks over 18 months without opening them. By varying cork lengths, they observed how oxygen initially redistributes within the bottle, then gradually diffuses from the cork into the wine, followed by chemical consumption of oxygen by cork compounds. The findings help winemakers and cork manufacturers predict how wine will age under different storage conditions.

Source: Ars Technica | 2026-06-24