In our continuing series on Food & Drink, we asked Bob to bring his vast expertise to the forefront and give us his recommendation on what he feels is the best in market for wine preservation. We’re happy to share with you his enthusiastic support in this blog – Wine Preservation – The Coravin System.
In the “Days of Old” half-full wine bottles obscured my kitchen backsplash and crowded my windowsill. They were of distinct shapes, sizes, and colors, each containing a unique amount of fluid. It looked like a high-priced shooting gallery; enormous stuffed animals absent. Everything changed when I gifted myself a birthday present last year, the Coravin Elite Pro Model 2 in Rose Gold, complete with added accessories. It was the best gift I ever gave or received and has saved me untold dollars in wasted wine.
I have used other wine preservation systems in the past, with varying results. Most discarded bottles were topped with the Vacu-Vin rubber cork or had some argon gas, dispensed from a spray bottle that always felt empty even at purchase. I’ve also worked in restaurants with systems that ran in the tens of thousands of dollars and allowed Grand Cru Classe Bordeaux to be sold by the glass without fear of losing the precious juice. Coravin is the affordable answer to preserving excellent wine for a long time, with little or no discernable difference in quality.
Do You Need One? Some Pro's and Con's to Consider
Now, before we get into the nuts and bolts of the system or the price tag, you must ask yourself if you need a preservation system. We’ve included some Pro’s, Con’s and Definitely below:
Pro’s
- If you’re dumping wine down the drain because it oxidizes
- You’re cooking every conceivable meal with wine or wine sauce to prevent it getting old
- You forgo opening a bottle of wine because some of it will just go to waste
Then you may very well benefit from having one of these systems.
Con’s
- If you always finish a bottle within a day or two of opening it
- You don’t experiment with different wines in a single setting or meal
- Or are very selective on lower price points
Then you may want to consider other preservation tips. (We have some tips you can read here.)
Definitely
- If you plan an evening meal that may start with a Chardonnay and a salad, switches to a Cabernet and grilled lamb chops, finishes with a Sauterne paired with your crème Brule, then you need to keep those wine selections fresh
- Or, perhaps, you have a hankering to blind taste ten different wines, one or two ounces at a time without worrying about the rest of the bottle
- And just maybe you’re the only one in the household that appreciates wine, you can’t always commit to a full bottle, or your partner likes a distinct style and you don’t like rotating picks for the evening.
The good news is a Coravin can solve all these predicaments with ease and efficiency!
What is the Coravin and what does it do?
Basically, it’s an argon capsule loaded apparatus that uses a hollow needle to first pressurize the inside of a wine bottle with inert gas and then dispels the wine via a trigger into the waiting glass. It does this without removing the cork. When the wine pour is finished, what’s left in the bottle is the rest of the wine topped with argon, a noble gas that prevents oxidation.
Scientifically, oxidation causes white wines to yellow, red wines to brown, and converts acetaldehyde into acetic acid. Laypeople speak, it turns wine into vinegar.
Once you cut and remove the foil, place the cowl of the Coravin around the neck with the needle poised above the cork. Then push the handle slowly toward the bottle until the needle is through the cork and into the bottle. Push the trigger to release a charge of argon gas from the enclosed capsule into the bottle while tilting the pour spout to the glass. With this, it dispenses the wine.
Righting the bottle back to upright position and releasing the trigger lets the excess gas escape from the pour spout. Presto! Fresh wine to enjoy! Clasping the cowl and pulling the handle away from the bottle lets the needle escape, and the cork seals again. (I’ve never seen a leak.)
For those crazy Stelvin closures (re: Screw top caps) Coravin makes a screw top adapter that fits on your Marlborough County Sauvignon Blanc and has at its center a wax disk and cardboard seal. This allows you to remove the wine cap, screw on the Coravin closure and use your system as you would with a cork. On Ports and Sherries or wines with a glass stopper, you can insert a wine cork and you’re all set to go.
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The Price Varies On Your Needs
Coravin offers a variety of models at different price points and may offer newer models outside of the time of this posting. We highly recommend you double check the listings prior to purchase to make sure you get all the features and accessories you need. Systems start at roughly $99 for the Pivot model, a single canister system with a custom stopper, to the heftier Model 11 Collector Pack for $499. Some models range from a base offering to Limited Edition, Advanced, Premiums, and Plus Packs, so check which comes with the accessories you want.
Extras include needle kits (I’m still on needle number 1 after a year); a storage base; Screw Caps; Aerators and so forth. You decide what is necessary or useful to you, but you will need additional capsules. Each cartridge purportedly dispenses 15 glasses of vino. That’s approximately 3 bottles. I find this to be very conservative and note that my average is closer to 4.5 bottles.
Most of this you can rationalize into the cost of your wine. Forget the price of the initial system. It’s spent money, hopefully for the greater good. The argon capsules are approximately $17.95 for two and are good for at least three bottles each. Simply add $3 to each bottle bought, although you won’t use the system on EVERY bottle you open. Picturing all of those half-full bottles I dumped, I’m certain that I discarded more than $3 per bottle.
The Proof is in the Taste!
Coravin’s website originally stated that the wine was unchanged for 90 days of storage. I proved that wrong in the first 9 months. I opened a 99pt Sheridan Vineyard 2014 Block 1 Cabernet in October of the year I bought it and poured the last 4 ounces the following July and it tasted just like the first sip. Magnificent! The site now states that the wine opened with their preservation system will have little or no change in quality for up to and beyond 2 years. I’m eager to see if a fine wine will continue to mature and age after initially being opened via Coravin. I have a 100pt 2015 Brunello that’s calling to me right now.
Final Thoughts on Wine Preservation - The Coravin System
So, there you have it. Relatively affordable; Easy to use; Portable and Infallible, all in a pretty package! I have sold a dozen of these and have had nothing but raves and applause for the Coravin. The best gift I’ve ever given; the best gift I’ve ever received.
We hope that you’ve found the information on our blog, Wine Preservation – The Coravin System useful and you share this with your friends! As we always say, if you don’t see something here you want us to cover, feel free to reach out to us directly through our Contact page or leave a comment below. Cheers!
Bob Hollowell has been exploring the world of wine for almost 40 years and has no plans on slowing down anytime soon! He’s no stranger to the culinary circles and is passionate about teaching other’s the experiences one can receive through food and drink.
Bob is a Certified Sommelier from Court of Master Sommeliers and a Cicerone Certified Beer Server, but most importantly has been in the restaurant and commercial sales (wine, spirits and beer) industry for over 25 years, bringing a wealth of professional knowledge to The 55 Lifestyle and to our readers.
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