Maybe you’re the kind of decisive person who can open a bottle of wine, not finish it, and still want to drink it the next night. Or, maybe every time you open a bottle, you finish every last drop. Or, maybe you’re like me: completely indecisive, perpetually pairing-curious, and always wanting to open up a new bottle to try a new wine. If you’re thinking, “I’d be friends with that girl,” then you’re in the right place. I’m here to tell you how you can have your wine and drink it too, no matter how many bottles you have “open.”
I’m a Coravin super-fan. These handy little devices help me embrace my wine enthusiasm without worry that I’ll open a bottle to then let it go to waste. I have the whole lineup of Coravin models – Timeless, Pivot, and Sparkling. Here’s what I use each of them for:
1. Coravin Timeless
Coravin Timeless is the original needle device that has been improved on several times and is your go-to system for wine tastings and sampling bottles over time. The technology this system introduced was revolutionary for wineries sampling Library wines, restaurants wanting to expand their wine-by-the-glass offerings, and collectors looking to taste through their cellars. It works by piercing the cork with a non-coring, slim needle and exchanging displaced wine with neutral argon gas from a concealed, changeable capsule for as much vino as the drinker would like. Just pull out the needle, let the cork expand back to its normal shape, and lay the bottle back down in a wine fridge or cellar until the next time you want to give it a try.
I’ve used my Timeless Six to taste the way wines develop from one year to the next (I’m currently trying to find the perfect sip of Willamette Valley Pinot Noir) or to try two more wines side by side to figure out which pairing I like more with whatever I’m cooking (or ordering on Seamless). Most often, though, I’m using Coravin Timeless to taste 3-5 bottles for my virtual wine tastings which I facilitate via Zoom on the weekly.
My Timeless Six has radically changed my business and has made it so I can always have the bottles that my clients would like to try on hand. Prior to buying my Timeless Six, I was consistently buying and opening full bottles for each tasting, which seriously affected my ability to make virtual tastings profitable for my small business, Viva la Vino. Now, I have several Coravin-accessed bottles on hand that I use for tastings throughout the month. I’ll usually pop the top or pull the cork to finish the bottle when there’s about a glass left.
2. Coravin Pivot
Although you’re conjuring replays of Ross and Rachel failing to get a couch up the stairs, the Pivot is anything but complicated. The method behind this Coravin system is as easy as they come:
Open the bottle the way you normally would, then immediately insert the Pivot stopper
Insert the Pivot
Tip the bottle to 45°
Press the button gently to pour
Tilt the bottle upright, remove the Pivot and close the stopper
The stopper self-seals and allows the thicker-than-a-needle wine tube direct access to the wine in exchange for that same neutral argon gas you read about earlier from the Coravin Timeless.
So, what’s the use case for this? Weeknight wine. My partner and I often disagree on what we’d like to drink, which in the past led to compromise, or too often wasted wine when we didn’t finish the two bottles we’d opened within a few days. Now, we can have several “bottles of the week” open on the counter or in the fridge with a Pivot stopper, and we can easily use the Pivot like a keg tap – pouring what we want and preserving the rest for later.
The best part is that you can have as many bottles “open” as you have Pivot toppers. This is also great for gathering a crowd (remember the good old days when we could do that?) since you can open several bottles to suit the different palates of your guests without needing to finish them all on your own after everyone departs.
We usually finish the bottles we open with the Pivot in about a week or so, but the Coravin experts (read: people with enough patience to test this) verify that your wine will stay fresh for up to four weeks (!) using the Pivot. At $99, this is the perfect system to gift to your wine-loving friends.
3. Coravin Sparkling
Discouraged from opening a bottle of bubbly for fear it will go flat before you finish it? Not anymore! Listen, I’ve tried all of the old tricks: A silver spoon, a made-for-sparkling bottle stopper, or simply grabbing an old cork and cramming it in the top and securing it with the cage. None of those solutions actually leave the wine tasting as good the next day, never mind a few weeks later.
I love pairing bubbles with appetizers or celebrating the end of the workweek with a Prosecco cocktail, but since my partner isn’t the biggest fan of bubbles, I’m left either buying too-expensive splits or dealing with budget bubbles so that I’m not too devastated when more than half goes to waste.
Enter: Coravin Sparkling™ Sparkling Wine Preservation System. This little number is great for pouring yourself a personal portion of bubbles or comparing several styles (Prosecco versus Cava versus Sekt, for example) side by side. I especially love using this device to drink what I want even when I’m the only one craving bubbles.
Each of these Coravin systems makes a great gift and now you know which system is best for each of your wine-loving friends. But, while you’re at it, better pick up one of each for yourself.
Brielle Buckler (she/her), founder of Viva la Vino (on Instagram as @vivalavino_nyc) , is a wine enthusiast who loves rare varietals, busting wine myths, and making the world of wine more approachable. While Brielle is typically based in the NYC area, she has been traveling the country by car for the past year, hosting virtual wine tastings from the road (check out her brick background – it’s a backdrop she brings with her!). The philosophy of Viva la Vino is that wine is only good if you like it, and Brielle is passionate about helping wine drinkers of all levels understand what qualities they prefer in wine and why. She wants to help others be more confident ordering wine in a restaurant or asking for recommendations in a wine shop. Brielle currently holds her WSET II certification and is waiting to sit for her WSET III exam once COVID restrictions are lifted.