Coravin Wine Preservation System — Enabling Premium By-the-Glass Service Without Opening the Bottle

Coravin is a wine access and preservation system invented by Greg Lambrecht, a biomedical engineer and MIT graduate who drew on his expertise creating medical-grade needles for chemotherapy delivery. In the late 1990s, frustrated by having to commit to a full 750ml bottle, he began developing a device in his home workshop that would let him pour a glass without opening the bottle. After co-founding Coravin Inc. with Josh Makower in 2011, Lambrecht launched the first device commercially in July 2013. The system uses a precision-engineered hollow needle that passes through a natural cork without removing it; argon gas flows in to replace the poured wine, and the cork reseals naturally once the needle is withdrawn.

• Co-founded in 2011 by Greg Lambrecht and Josh Makower; first commercial launch July 2013
• Lambrecht holds dual MIT degrees in Nuclear and Mechanical Engineering and worked previously in medical device development at Pfizer
• The needle is intentionally off-center so each insertion penetrates a fresh section of cork, protecting long-term cork integrity
• Robert Parker's endorsement after launch helped propel early adoption; Coravin is now sold in approximately 60 countries

The Coravin Timeless system works by inserting a thin, hollow, precision-engineered needle through the natural cork of a wine bottle. When the trigger is pressed, 100% pure argon gas enters the bottle, pressurizing it so wine flows out through the needle and spout. Argon is chosen because it is completely inert, odorless, and heavier than oxygen, forming a protective barrier inside the bottle that prevents oxidation. Once the device is removed, the natural cork's elasticity causes it to reseal, leaving the remaining wine unaffected. Bottles accessed correctly with Coravin Timeless have been blind-tasted and found indistinguishable from untouched bottles years later.

• Pure argon gas is heavier than oxygen, forming a protective layer that prevents oxidative degradation of the remaining wine
• Natural cork reseals after needle withdrawal; synthetic corks do not reseal and must not be used with Timeless systems
• Each argon capsule provides approximately 15 standard 150ml pours with Timeless systems or 20 pours with Pivot systems
• Screw-cap bottles can be used with Timeless devices via the Coravin Screw Cap accessory, which preserves wine for up to three months

Coravin offers four distinct product lines suited to different needs and closure types. The Timeless series (Three+, Six+, and the Bluetooth-connected Eleven) uses the needle-and-argon approach and is designed exclusively for natural cork closures, offering the longest preservation window. The Pivot+ is a stopper-based system compatible with any closure type, including synthetic corks, screw caps, and glass closures, preserving wine for up to four weeks after opening. Coravin Sparkling, launched in 2021 after eight years of development, uses pure CO2 to maintain the pressure and effervescence of Champagne and other sparkling wines for at least four weeks. Coravin Timeless systems must not be used with sparkling wine bottles due to the pressure inside those bottles.

• Timeless Three+, Six+, and Eleven: needle-and-argon, natural cork only, longest preservation window extending to years
• Pivot+: stopper-based, compatible with all closure types including synthetic cork and screw cap, preserves up to four weeks
• Coravin Sparkling: uses pure CO2 gas, designed for all sparkling wines including Champagne, Prosecco, and Cava; preserves freshness and bubbles for at least four weeks
• Coravin Screw Cap accessory allows Timeless devices to work with screw-cap bottles, protecting wine for up to three months per access

Before Coravin, opening a high-value bottle for by-the-glass service carried significant financial risk: if it did not sell quickly, the wine would deteriorate and the investment would be lost. Coravin removed that risk, empowering sommeliers to list aged Burgundy, mature Bordeaux, fine Rioja, and rare library releases as individual pours. Members clubs such as 67 Pall Mall in London, widely described as the world's largest single-site user of Coravin, now offer over 1,000 wines by the glass from a cellar of more than 5,000 bottles. This model would be commercially unworkable without reliable preservation technology.

• Sommeliers can offer aged, premium, and rare wines by the glass without the financial exposure of opening full bottles
• 67 Pall Mall in London offers more than 1,000 wines by the glass using Coravin across a list of over 5,000 wines from more than 42 countries
• Restaurants and wine bars reduce wine waste substantially by eliminating the forced consumption timeline that follows traditional cork removal
• Coravin adoption has shifted sommelier purchasing behavior toward older vintages and premium library selections previously considered too risky to open for BTG programs

Coravin has been adopted across fine dining restaurants, private members clubs, wine bars, retail wine shops, and wineries on a global scale. In the professional context, it is used both for by-the-glass programs and for quality control, with winemakers and reviewers using it to sample barrel samples and library bottles without committing to a full pour. Wine critic endorsements, including a celebrated early review from Robert Parker, drove professional acceptance. Wine writer Jamie Goode has noted that reviewers using Coravin should declare that fact, reflecting the system's now-standard integration into professional tasting practice.

• Coravin has been adopted in thousands of restaurants and wineries worldwide and is sold in approximately 60 countries
• Lambrecht conducted a 14-year blind tasting experiment, accessing a bottle with an early prototype and comparing it to an untouched control; tasters could not reliably distinguish the wines
• Wine bar and retail operators use Coravin to offer pre-purchase tastings of premium bottles, as seen at retailers such as Lavinia in Paris and Madrid
• Wine writer Jamie Goode has suggested that reviewers using Coravin should disclose that practice, reflecting its integration as a professional standard

While highly effective when used correctly, Coravin Timeless systems have meaningful constraints that sommeliers and wine professionals should understand. The needle will not reseal synthetic corks, causing oxidation over time. Older corks with reduced elasticity, particularly those in very old bottles, may reseal more slowly or less completely, especially when chilled. Agglomerated, multi-piece, and twin-top corks are compatible but require careful handling. The needle can be damaged by thick wax seals and glass closures. The Coravin Sparkling system requires its own dedicated CO2 capsules and must not be confused with the argon capsules used in Timeless and Pivot devices.

• Timeless systems will not reseal synthetic corks; if a synthetic closure is used, the wine must be consumed promptly as oxidation will occur
• Cold or aged natural corks take longer to reseal after the needle is withdrawn; storing accessed bottles upright briefly after pouring helps minimize dripping
• Glass closures are incompatible with Timeless needles and will cause permanent needle damage; Pivot+ should be used instead
• Coravin Sparkling uses dedicated pure CO2 capsules distinct from the argon capsules used in still wine systems; the two capsule types are not interchangeable