Coravin
Coravin started in Boston, Massachusetts, in 2011. Greg Lambrecht, a wine lover who studied at MIT, figured out how to continue drinking wine in moderation and without ruining the ends of the bottles while his wife was expecting the couple's first child. A few years of thinking and after making prototypes, inspired by needles used in medicine, Lambrecht succeeded in launching the Coravin device on the market in 2013. The launch was a once-and-for-all groundbreaking innovation in the wine market, as it enables wine to be served without opening the bottle. In ten years, the device has become a working tool of numerous wine restaurants and wine enthusiasts in daily use worldwide.
Coravin's operation is based on a small needle that penetrates the cap and argon gas. With Coravin, wine can be poured into a glass from a bottle that is still closed with a cork. Argon gas protects the empty space formed in the bottle so that the wine cannot oxidize. Consequently, rarer and more valuable wines can be offered by the glass in restaurants too, without the otherwise unsold bottle end causing wasted costs. When used correctly, gas only costs around €0.10 per glass, but due to minimizing waste, the savings are considerable.
With the help of Coravin, restaurants are able to serve a wider selection and also more expensive wines by the glass, and encourage customers to also try value wines when they do not have to buy a whole bottle. Thus, Coravin can create a unique wine selection for restaurants and attract even more enlightened wine connoisseurs to stop by with a glass. The parts of the device are also recyclable, so the used argon capsules can be put in metal recycling.
When using the classic needle Coravin, it is important to make sure that the bottle is closed with a natural cap. Before pushing the needle through the cap, a small amount of argon gas should be released to clean the needle of any previous wine residues and oxygen. After this, the needle is pushed through the cap in a controlled manner, after which it can be dispensed from the bottle to the glass without opening the cap. After use, the Coravin device is easy to clean with warm water and put the bottle back in the wine cabinet for future use. The wine stays good for several months when the device is used correctly.
If you want to use needle Coravin in bottles with screw caps, the wines must be closed with a screw cap designed by Coravin immediately after opening. When used this way, the bottle stays good for about 3 months. The Coravin Pivot system makes it possible to serve a bottle closed with any closure by the glass by using Coravin's rubber cap, which is put on the bottle as soon as it is opened. When closed with pivot tops, the wine stays good for a month.
As the latest innovation, Coravin has released the Sparkling System device to the world, which with its carbon dioxide increasing system and capsule enables champagne and sparkling wine bubbles to remain good for up to four weeks. Thus, restaurants have the opportunity to expand the number of sparkling wines and champagnes served by the glass, and once again offer their customers more opportunities for unique experiences than before.
Already in December 2013, Coravin was awarded as the world's most innovative wine product by La Revue du Vin de France.
