US-designed and made, the Coravin Wine Access System allows users to extract wine from sealed bottles, without pulling the cork and starting the oxidisation process.
The system’s launch, said its makers, will “liberate” restaurant owners and sommeliers, and wine fans can expect to see a much broader offering of wines by the glass.
The system works by pushing a thin, hollow needle through the foil and cork into the bottle. Argon, an inert gas already used in winemaking, is then injected into the bottle, pressurising it. This pressurisation pushes the wine through the needle, at the same time preventing oxygen from entering the bottle. Once the needle has been removed, the cork will reseal itself and the rest of the wine will continue to age naturally. Pressure regulation technology prevents the cork from loosening or popping out.
The same bottle can be accessed over and over again without issue, said Coravin. The company has been carrying out blind-tasting tests with experts who were, they
said, unable to distinguish between untouched bottles and those already accessed.
Coravin founder Greg Lambrecht, a medical device inventor with a passion for wine and innovation, told Harpers that in addition to its obvious benefits to restaurateurs and bar owners, the new device is already being used “to validate the authenticity of wine”.
“We believe Coravin will make its way into the auction world to enable sampling of questionable wines,” he said.
The first model, the Coravin 1000, is initially available in the United States, although the company said that it “will likely expand overseas in the future”. It costs $299, and the argon capsules retail at $29.95 for a pack of three, each of which allows for the extraction of approximately 15 150ml glasses of wine. Needles should be replaced when the Teflon coating wears off, said Coravin – this can occur at between 500 and 1000 uses.
