There are countless wine preservation systems out there, some we even regularly see for under $10 over on Kinja Deals. But the best way to preserve your wine is not to uncork it, and Coravin lets you drink your favorites, one glass at a time if you prefer, cork still in place.
Coravin works by puncturing through your corks with a needle, and then pressurizing the bottle using argon gas to release as much or as little wine as you want. Pull out the needle and the cork will naturally reseal itself. It’s brilliant, works perfectly, and makes single-glass drinking a much more viable option.
Let’s get the bad out of the way: Coravin’s lineup is a clusterfuck. There is absolutely no reason to have more than one model, and they currently have five (I think), with the only changes in each step up being aesthetic or build quality-related (plus some pack-ins). The difference in price on the two extremes of their chart (which doesn’t include whatever the Model Eight is) is in the hundreds of dollars.
This is all compounded by the fact that the more budget-friendly Model One is significantly uglier than the other options, and the chart is labeled with distinguishers like “everyday wine drinkers” for the cheap version and “wine connoisseurs” for the most expensive, which again, doesn’t add any features. Oh also there are four different needles.
But seriously, I love this thing. It’s easy and intuitive to use, and they even have screw cap stand-ins so you can use the Coravin with screw cap bottles. While the argon capsules are pricey, they’re available on Subscribe & Save, which softens the blow a bit.
It should be included to begin with, but Coravin also sells an optional aerator, which you should definitely equip.
Coravin is expensive, but wine is also just an expensive habit. Don’t get paralyzed by the sticker shock or the labyrinth of models and needles. If you’re an oenophile this is a must own, and makes a killer gift as well.
Cheat sheet: We’d get the Model Two, Premium Needle, Aerator, and order our capsules with Subscribe & Save.