Whether you take more than a few days to polish off a bottle of wine, or you have one really special bottle that you and a loved one want to save forever, there’s never been an effective at-home wine preservation system until the Coravin appeared on the market. This gadget allows you to pour wine from a bottle without removing the cork, which means that oxygen never gets inside the bottle, thus preserving the wine as if it has never been touched.
The Coravin Wine Preservation Opener uses a hollowed needle, which is inserted through the cork and fills the bottle with argon gas to pressurize it, and the wine, in turn, is poured through the needle. When the needle is removed from the cork, the cork reseals, protecting the wine from oxidation and leaving the remaining wine unaffected. The Coravin Model 11 is automated, paired with an app that records how much argon remains. Check out their demonstration video.
The opener has been widely adopted by restaurants, wine salespeople, and wine reviewers, since it makes it possible to sample or drink only one glass from a bottle without then having to finish it immediately.
Don’t let the price of your bottle indicate whether or not it’s worth using the Coravin. A good wine is a wine that you love, whether that bottle is $15 or $50. Good wine should be savored on your terms. Maybe you are not a frequent wine drinker but like a glass after a hard day, or you want to preserve your wedding wine for years to come—either way, you need a simple, effective way to keep the bottle good for as long as possible
With a price tag from $100-$400 depending on the model, the Coravin isn’t cheap. But it is the first tool that allows wine lovers to pour and preserve wine without removing the cork, so the price should be weighed against your wine consumption habits. If you’re on a budget or have no trouble finishing a bottle of wine quickly, then the Coravin probably isn’t worth the investment.
The Coravin uses specially designed Argon capsules that can be purchased separately, each of which allow the user to pour 15 five-ounce glasses of wine. Coravin also sells an accessory that enables wine lovers to preserve bottles sealed with a screw cap for up to three months.
Good news! Coravin models are widely available to the public. They are generally offered at major home products stores and online specialty services. Wayfair has an abundance of Coravin models and accessories at competitive prices.