The Improved Coravin

[Roy Hersh]

Whether or not you're a fan of the Coravin, early versions had some production issues that have been addressed and a revamped model has rolled out. I recently had the good fortune to drink some great wines with the owner during a weekend and asked him if he could let me know what has been done to rectify some of the issues that had previously been raised by wine enthusiasts across the globe. Here was his response:


Hello Roy,

I’m so sorry to have missed your email. I just searched my junk folder and found this. Sorry it took me so long.

Thanks for the question. Yes, we have made many small, but important improvements since the first generation of Coravin which was called both Model 1000 and Model 8.

1) All current models have a standard needle that flows 15% faster. We have gotten good at needles.
2) We’ve launched a Fast Flow needle that pours 30% faster than the standard. It also pours more glasses per capsule as there is less resistance to flow. I feel safe using this needle on bottles up to 15 years old.
3) We launched both a Vintage needle and Premium needle that can be used on very old bottles, stuff from the 70’s on back.
4) All needles now have a feature that makes them resistant to unscrewing on their own, which was a problem with the first system that resulted in wasted gas.
5) We made some improvements to the interior of the system that solves a problem we had with gas leaking from a fraction of the systems as they got older.
6) We improved the cup that holds the capsule so that it automatically adjusts for varying capsule length. This makes it easier to tell when you have screwed the cup on enough.
7) We improved the clamps that hold onto the bottle so that it takes less force to open, while still holding on very well.
8) If you like your choice of color, you’re in luck. Model 2 comes in tons of them.

The other important advice for best results that I give to folks is what I call the 3 C’s - Clean, Clear, and Cellar.

Clean: It’s surprising how people don’t think to wash their Coravin. I tell them it’s like a wine glass. You need to wash it at the end of the evening on a day when you use it. Otherwise, brett and other nasties can grow inside the spout and valve which you will then inject into your next bottle. Just run hot water through the spout at a sink and you will be set. If you’ve never washed your Coravin, run some cheap vodka through the spout and wash with water from then on.

Clear: It is good practice to give the trigger a very short press just BEFORE pushing the needle through the cork. This sparges the needle with argon and pushes any wine from the last bottle or water out of the needle.

Cellar: For some reason, some folks think you need to store Coravin’ed wines vertically. Many store their wines in the heat as well. This is bad. You should treat a Coravin’ed bottle well by storing it horizontally and at temps below 68F.

Sorry for the long answer, but I felt I should make up for my delay. I’ve done blind tastings with over 500 wine makers and sommelier around the world using the above techniques, and been successful with bottles that had been Coravin’ed from 3 months to more than 3 years prior when tasted vs an in-Coravin’ed bottle from the same case. Treat the Coravin and the wine well, and bottles can last a decade or more.

Don’t hesitate to contact me anytime. I’m happy to clarify any of this. I look forward to our next chance to meet.

My Very Best,
Greg

Greg Lambrecht
Chairman & Founder
Coravin, Inc.