Coravin: the brand, its inventor, and its products

 Who hasn’t hesitated to open a fine bottle for just one glass? Once opened, wine oxidizes and loses its luster within a few days. Coravin, an American brand launched in 2013, solves this dilemma: it lets you pour a glass without removing the cork and keep the rest of the bottle intact. It appeals to wine lovers and restaurants alike, enabling them to offer by the glass wines that were once sold only by the bottle. 

A medical engineer faces his bottle of wine 

Its inventor, Greg Lambrecht, didn’t come from the wine world. Trained at MIT in nuclear and then mechanical engineering, he spent seven years at Pfizer designing medical devices before founding his own company in 1999. His specialty: needles that can pass through tissue without damaging it. 

One evening, while his wife was pregnant, he wanted just one glass. An idea came to him: could a needle pass through a cork? He built an initial prototype in 2001, just for himself, then spent years refining it on weekends while running two medical companies. His friends adopted it and asked him to make one for them. One of them convinced him to turn it into a business: Coravin was founded in 2011 with Josh Makower, and the first device came out in July 2013, nearly thirteen years after the project began. 

Looking back, he acknowledges two regrets: taking too long to present Coravin as the ideal system for serving wine by the glass, and thinking about sparkling wines too late—the dedicated solution didn’t arrive until 2021. Today, he chairs the company’s board. 

How does it work? 

Rather than resealing an already opened bottle, Coravin keeps air out . The device is attached to the neck of the bottle, and a very fine needle passes through the cork. Pressing the trigger injects argon, which pushes the wine through the needle and into the glass. Each pour takes about 25 seconds. Once the device is removed, the cork reseals itself. 

Argon is an inert gas that winemakers have used for a long time: it doesn’t alter the taste of the wine and replaces the liquid poured, so oxygen never reaches what remains in the bottle. One capsule is enough to pour about fifteen glasses. There are two limitations, however: the system doesn’t work with synthetic corks, which don’t reseal properly, and a single cork can withstand only about fifteen punctures. 

Three product lines for three uses 

The choice comes down to one simple question: how long do you want to keep an opened bottle?  

Timeless: pour without ever uncorking 

These are the original needle-based devices. Since the cork is never removed, the wine can be preserved for weeks, months, or even years, depending on the brand. The Timeless Three is the entry-level model, the Five is aimed at professionals, the Six has premium finishes, and the Eleven is automatic and connected, pressurizing itself . Interchangeable needles work with old, fragile corks, and a special screw-cap attachment makes the device suitable for bottles with screw caps. 

Pivot: the everyday solution 

Open the bottle as usual, then replace the cork with a Pivot stopper, through which the device pours wine under argon. It works with all types of closure, but preserves wine for less time: up to four weeks, according to the brand. A Pivot+ version comes with an aerator, which oxygenates wine as a decanter would. 

Sparkling: finally, a solution for bubbles 

Launched in 2021, it preserves champagne and other sparkling wines. After opening the bottle, fit a special stopper and use a small charger to inject carbon dioxide: the wine keeps its bubbles for up to four weeks. It is strictly for sparkling wines, as a bottle of still wine would not withstand the pressure. 

All these systems use gas capsules that need to be replaced regularly. 

Who is it for? 

Designed for enthusiasts, Coravin has had its biggest impact on restaurants: they can serve a rare wine by the glass without risking losing the rest of the bottle. The London members’ club 67 Pall Mall, for example, offers up to 1,000 wines by the glass . The trade-offs are slower service than with a corkscrew, the cost of capsules, and rinsing the device after each use. 

Conclusion 

Coravin is the story of an engineer who applied his medical expertise to a small everyday problem and took thirteen years to turn it into a brand. Its product range boils down to a simple choice: the Timeless for preserving your finest bottles for a long time, Pivot for everyday wines, and Sparkling for bubbles. 

And if you’d like to find out more, visit the Coravin.