Ultimate wine gadget: the Coravin
Drinking wine without uncorking the bottle? It’s possible! With the most magical wine gadget of all time: the Coravin. In my opinion, the (wine) invention of the century. You can see how and why this is so brilliant in the video below.
You probably know the feeling. You fancy a glass, but not a whole bottle. Or you want white, while the other person wants red. The best remedy for an opened bottle of wine is to finish it. But what if you want to drink more mindfully? Or if the wine doesn’t quite go with your dish after all? Or if that one special bottle turns out not to be ready to drink (read: perfectly drinkable) after the first sip? It’s such a shame when the bottle is already open and you can’t keep it any longer.
The struggle of wine drinkers worldwide, because countless ways have already been devised to preserve an opened bottle of wine for longer. Well, a few days longer. And: an opened bottle. Do read on, because that’s where the crux lies in these two things.
The problem: oxidation
Once a bottle of wine has been opened, you can’t really get it ‘closed’ again. Any contact with oxygen means oxidation. The result: a shorter shelf life and a change in the wine’s flavour. With the Coravin, that’s a thing of the past. This unique system allows you to pour a glass of wine without removing the cork from the bottle. Say wháát?! Yes, really. It sounds like a major mindfuck, and that’s what it looks like too. Just watch the video below, in which Maarten Dekker from Coravin explains how it works (and as you can see, I can barely believe it myself).
Video!
How it works
You place the Coravin on the sealed bottle – even the capsule around the neck can stay in place – press the hollow stainless-steel needle through the cork, and argon gas is added to the bottle. The pressure created makes the wine flow out of the bottle through the same needle. Any oxygen trying to enter the bottle is kept out by the argon, which is heavier than oxygen. The wine’s natural development in the unopened bottle is not affected, because the cork seals hermetically again once the needle has been removed. You fill the glass through a spout, much like a tap system. The system works not only with natural corks, but also with screw caps.
So the bottle remains unopened and untouched, but can still be enjoyed. This means you can pour a single glass from a bottle of wine, put the bottle away for days, weeks, months or even longer, while preserving the wine’s quality. Naturally, you wouldn’t use it for cheap ass wines, but from around ten euros a bottle onwards, it’s ideal.
Wine by the glass
The Coravin is therefore widely used in the hospitality industry. Which makes sense, because it makes ‘open wines’ accessible. Their limited shelf life is why many restaurants and cafés offer only a small selection of ‘open’ wines. But with the Coravin, you can offer any wine by the glass. Almost every wine bar makes grateful use of it, so the list of ‘wine by the glass’ options on wine menus is endless.
Benefits at home
But the Coravin is especially useful at home too. Do you want to drink wine, but not the whole bottle? Are you hosting a dinner and not everyone wants to drink the same wine? You got it. Bottles no longer need to be opened or finished. Total freedom of choice when it comes to wine. Love it.
The Coravin comes in various models and price ranges (from 199 euros) and is available from, among others, bol.com and de Bijenkorf.
Read also:
- Dropped a wine glass? Here’s how to fix it
- This will make wine lovers happy
- The horror of vinegar-like house wine
