Latest Coravin Model Turns it Up to Eleven

I don't know if a Coravin Model Eleven is worth $1000, but it is useful, more so than its cheaper predecessors.

I have had mixed experiences with trying to use a Coravin in the past so I was surprised when the company reached out to me to review the new model. It must be easier to find a wine journalist to praise a device that allows you to enjoy the same bottle of wine, one glass at a time, for at least a couple of weeks.

But maybe that's the idea: if I like it, you will too. And I did like it. My only reservation is the cost. If $1000 doesn't bother you, go ahead and buy one.

The Coravin works by inserting a small needle through a cork (it must be a natural cork, not synthetic) to withdraw some wine, replacing it with inert gas to keep the remaining wine from oxidizing. That way you don't have to pull the cork. It's a boon for people who want to stretch out their enjoyment of a special bottle of wine.

Coravin claims that wines will last for weeks without being affected. I didn't find that to always be true. Some wines changed unpredictably after being "accessed" with a Coravin.

Some got better at first: an Ashes & Diamonds Napa Valley Cabernet Franc 2014 that I pulled a small taste from was significantly more delicious a week later, with smoother tannins and greater complexity. I believe that's the result of a small amount of oxygen entering the bottle, and that might be user error, as I do not claim to be an expert at using it. (Note to readers: this is a good reason to decant wines when you open them by pulling the cork.) Two weeks later it was still quite good, though not as good as one week earlier.

I accessed two special Pinot Noirs I wanted to enjoy on an occasion: Cobb Coastlands Vineyard 1906 Block Pommard Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir 2014 and Kutch Bohan Vineyard Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir 2016. Both were so delightful that I took out two full glasses with the Coravin. The Cobb had a visible wine spot on the cork – a cut where I had inserted the needle. But it was still delicious two weeks later. The Kutch, though, while drinkable, had become ordinary.

Just to run the full gamut, the only bottle of white wine I tested, Tenuta Regaleali Tasca Sicilia Cataratto 2017, tasted exactly the same (minerally and refreshing) after nearly three weeks and multiple times accessing the bottle. This was the first bottle for me where the Coravin worked exactly as intended, and it's a marvelous thing.

I don't know if this makes a difference, but I stored the Sicilian white upright in my food refrigerator at food temperature, while I stored all the reds on their sides in my wine fridge at 60 Farenheit. I was concerned about wine leaking from the reds, but despite the red spot on the Cobb cork, none of the bottles leaked.

For ease of use, I like this model much better than the previous one I tried, which I inadvertently used to spray-paint my kitchen with wine. Most of the Model Eleven feels solid and the instructions are fairly easy to follow. I had no mishaps except one that I had repeatedly: almost immediately I bent the needle – a key piece of equipment. I had to rebend the needle more than once to get it into the cork. I don't know how long the needle will last, but you can buy replacement parts.

Coravin Model Eleven is Bluetooth-enabled and has an app, though there's little need for it other than to tell you how much neutral gas is left in the replaceable cylinder. You can use the app to switch between a glass and a sip of wine, but you can also just press the button on the device. Coravin is trying to build a social community with "Coravin Moments," pairing wines with Christmas movies or Jason Isbell, but so far as I can tell the only people participating work for Coravin. As soon as this review is published I will delete the app. But I would keep the Coravin if they let me.

Restaurants might be prime customers of the Coravin Model Eleven: it's great for by-the-glass lists. I knew that some wines changed because I took extensive tasting notes. But none of the wines I accessed, even weeks later, would I have sent back if I ordered them by the glass. It does require a little concentration to avoid or minimize bending the needle, but it's much easier to use than previous models. However, the wine does dribble out fairly slowly, so restaurant employees would have to be patient.

Here's what I most like about it: it gave me the freedom to drink from bottles of wine that I had been reluctant to open. Jamie Kutch met me for dim sum a while back and handed me a bottle of his Pinot Noir. I wanted to drink it; obviously he wanted me to taste it right away. But I kept passing over it because I wanted the food pairing to be perfect, plus I had nagging doubts about robbing the cradle. Once I could use the Coravin, I opened Kutch's wine and Ross Cobb's Pinot and a few others. I drank better because the Coravin freed my mind, and that has value.