A Coravin opener stops wine from being exposed to air and therefore retains its freshness and character. The system pierces the cork (or via a special screw top) with a thin hollow needle. You press a trigger which forces the wine out through the needle into your glass and at the same time replaces it with argon gas.
The idea is you can enjoy any wine without committing to drink the whole bottle. It is claimed that the bottle will last up to three months although I have heard that six weeks is more likely (depending on ullage) before the wine begins to lose its brightness and flatten out.
If you are at home and only drink a glass or two each night then this may appeal because you can go back to the bottle (or bottles) as you please over at least a 6 week period. Not my bag as I like to finish the bottle within a maximum of one or two nights! Certainly ideal for the restaurant trade which can serve very expensive bottles by the glass without you paying for the bottle. It should appeal to wine bars who could have most of their wines on the wine list available by the glass, using the Coravin system.
For screw top enclosures it is a slightly different ball game. First you need one of two sizes of special Coravin plastic screw caps. You remove the enclosure on the bottle and replace it with the Coravin version which has a hollow silicone rubber centre. You put this over the top of the bottle to replace the original cap. You then access the wine as I have described above via the needle through the squishy, highly flexible rubber seal. By the way it will not work with champagne closures.
Now the crunch. Is this all really worth it for the home consumer? The cost of the basic unit ranges from $339 to $549. Each glass you pour will cost approx $1.33 of argon. Argon refill canisters cost $30 for a two pack. Refill canisters are good for about 15, 150 ml glasses. But theres more. The plastic Coravin screw tops of either size come in a 6 pack for about $45.
My advice. Take the cheap option. Open a bottle and share it with your partner or friends.
