Coravin, Pungo...now Wikeeps - these are popping up everywhere

WINE TALK
61

Burt from Pungo wrote back to me with a few ideas. I will say that the level of personalized customer service is excellent.

On a side note, I used the device for the first time tonight and it’s fantastic.

62

Burt is very responsive. I need to send my Pungo back for a modification but my wife won’t let me–she loves it.

63

uh, Pungo does. There is an insert that can be used for screwcaps.

64

Okay,

the more I read about them the more confused I become [scratch.gif]
I am seeking a tool that would allow to take some ‘juice’ of the bottle, compare bottles side by side, and would not pour wine excessively slow (e.g. decant, let’s say up to 1/3 of a bottle and not just a small taste pour). The storage goal is not for years, but for months.
Pungo has a claim that it may ‘leak’ from the connector (to the cork) and it is also not built to really easily switch from one bottle to the other. Coravin has a concern with slightly older corks/wines, and the needle may be not sufficient in this case. (Also, the argon capsule price).
So, all said and done- what should I do? Coravin, pungo, wikeeps, something else?

Criteria
(a) Ability to pour to a decanter (b) hold remaining bottle for few good weeks (but not years) (c) relatively simple to operate/maintain (d) reliable (e) economic efficient

65

I can’t speak for bottle longevity as I just got the unit a few days ago, but as far as flow is concerned, it blows the Coravin away.

Argon from Pungo was purchased as a case of 10 for like $39.

I am mildly concerned about how good the plug/seal would be as to prevent leaking if the bottle was placed on the side, but haven’t gone through that excercise as of yet, so maybe Alan can comment more on that.

Overall, having used both Pungo and Coravin, I find the Pungo to be the better option for your needs.

66

So the Coravin website says that one cartridge lasts about 15 glasses. Can someone with a Coravin system confirm that this is close to accurate?

67

I think the Pungo capsules are 4-6 bottles per, which seems to be around the same. A 10 pack for $39 is a much cheaper option than that of the Coravin if the Pungo numbers I was told are accruate.

It seems the Coravin capsules are approx. 3 times the cost.

68

Todd, Take a look at Coravin, either model, and VinoArgo.com. Ease of use and refillable argon

69

So, I picked up my Pungo today, and I’m very impressed with the quality of the build. I met Burt, and he showed me the parts, and some of the processes to build the pungo. He also explained that the Pungo is not a new creation, its been around since 2007, and has gone through many changes as better methods presented themselves. For instance the needle coating has changed a couple of times, and the newer needles more easily slide through the cork. All and all the device is made to last a long time with a high quality stainless steel body, and parts. The entire device is tooled and assembled by Burt and Morgan here in the USA.

If your on the fence for one of these devices, I would take a good look at the Pungo. As previously posted there are some videos for use, on Youtube, but the whole system is very simple.

Its running about the same cost as a Coravin, but the canisters are non-proprietary, although Pungo would like you to purchase their canisters to keep with in spec. At $40 for 10 its pretty much a no brainer.

Thanks to Wine Berserkers, and this thread for steering me in this direction.

Matt

70

Waited and waited for a pungo to go full retail. Getting a coravin this Christmas. Can’t wait forever.

71

I contacted the Pungo via and received my device within a few weeks from first email. They are extremely responsive. My guess is that they would be able to send you one prior to X-Mas (if you wanted one)

72

Anyone know how long a bottle should stay preserved using a Pungo? I opened an 08 Lyndenhurst this past NYE. Wine was perfect a couple weeks later. I just went in today to give a little taste and it was spoiled.

Is there less of a chance that it stays preserved when there’s less wine left in the bottle? I left the Pungo in the bottle the entire time and never removed it.

73

I have both a Coravin and a Pungo. I have tapped about 30 - 35 bottles with the Coravin with one wine that spoiled after approx. 3 weeks and having been tapped 3 times. I have used the Pungo on approx. 20 bottles mostly leaving the Pungo in the bottle. The second time I used the pin to plug the hole the wine spoiled within 2 weeks. The Coravin is a pain to pour as it is rather slow and when you first tap a full bottle it requires a longer push on the trigger to get the flow going. The Pungo pours very nicely from the start, however, after the 20th bottle I noticed a hissing noise and it ceased pouring wine. It turned out to be the overpressure relief valve had activated. I looked up the reset procedure on the Pungo website and followed the directions. It started working again until the second time I used the trigger when the hissing noise started again. I figure I will have to send the unit in for repair or replacement but I haven’t gotten around to getting in touch with the folks at Pungo yet.

My conclusion:

I will continue to use the Coravin on bottles that I intend to let sit in my wine cabinet for an extended period and use the Pungo on bottles I expect to use up within a few days leaving the Pungo inserted after each use. The Coravin does a better job of allowing you to have several bottles available to be tapped at any time as my failure rate using the metal pin on “Pungoed” bottles was not encouraging. The Pungo is still the only option to extend the life of a screw cap wine by removing the screw cap, inserting the plastic stopper and the metal pin. This technique will expose the wine to air during the procedure. I am unhappy with the failure of the overpressure valve on the Pungo since it is supposed to use low pressure argon from the start.

74

I’ve noticed this as well over a couple of months when I’ve left the Pungo in the bottle. I believe I found the issue, but I’m not 100% certain on this:

First, make sure the pin is inserted in the cork completely straight. There’s a rubber O-ring on the underside of the Pungo that is supposed to be flush with the top of the bottle neck to form a good seal. In the bottles I’ve had trouble with over time, I had not done this. Which leads to my second point.

Second, I think (emphasis on think) that over time the cork will shrink a little while the pin is in it, making the seal between the cork and pin less exact. In my case, I was not leaving the tapped bottle in my cellar unit but had instead left it on the counter (it was port). It may be different if the bottle is left in the cellar where there’s proper temperature and humidity.

To D.Callahan’s point, the use of the plastic stoppers that come with the Pungo are the only way to go for screw cap bottles or T-cork port bottles. However, I’m also starting to think that using those stoppers is a good way to get around the potential cork shrinkage issue over time. IMHO, popping a cork and immediately replacing it with the plastic stopper and the Pungo unit will be inconsequential to the wine as the air exposure will be minute at best. I’ve got the plastic stopper and Pungo in a 1985 Kopke Colheita right now (photo below) that is perfectly fine after a couple of weeks. I’ll report back as time progresses on that.

75

Dennis,

The pressure-release valve (PRV) usually pops when accidentally hitting the trigger while inserting the needle in cork or somehow blocking the spout during the pour. More rare is an extra long cork that blocks the liquid port of the needle, such that applying gas builds bottle pressure with no where for the wine to go. If you’re seeing the PRV pop during a normal pour, then something is wrong with unit. Just send it in, and we’ll get it fixed.

Resetting the PRV entails re-seating a precision ball in a precision recess. It’s important that you push the ball past its detent. What we typically see are users not applying enough force to fully seat the ball. Again, if you’re having difficulty, give us a ring.

76

John,

Natural corks are a challenging material. On failed bottles (this includes leaking at the needle-cork interface), we’ve seen corks with giant voids, veins, and diminished resilience. Of course, any compromise with the seal will lead to oxidation. To that end, we’re going to be offering an attachment that largely solves the problem. This will work with the Pungo and the sealing pins. Existing customers will get these free of charge, so keep an eye out.

77

For those with a Pungo, when you intend to finish the rest of the bottle, do you take out the pungo and pop the cork as usual to save argon? Is it more difficult to get the cork out with a hole in the middle?

78

Yes, I usually do take out the Pungo and pop the cork. I’ve found that pulling the cork isn’t much different unless the cork is older and stuck to the neck. At that point, I’ll pull it with an Ah-So or a Durand.

79

I was able to find how to clean the coravin on youtube. For those with a pungo what is the recommended way to go about this?. Also someone mentioned storage for the pungo being an issue. How have you addressed this?

80

cleaning: I just run some tap water through it while pressing the trigger enough to let the water through, but not dispense any gas.

storage: we keep a cardboard box - it’s probably the bottom & sides,with top removed, which was part of the original packaging, but I don’t recall for certain - in the “wine gadget” drawer and lay the Pungo in this

My biggest issue is deciding when and when not to use it. Sometimes on day two I wish I’d opened a bottle conventionally the day before so I could enjoy its development; but it’s also not uncommon that I simply stopper a bottle and don’t get back to it until it’s lost a step or two or the ability to walk altogether - in part because having the device has encouraged more of a daily pairing-wine-with-dinner habit with more bias toward opening the new, more ideal bottle instead of finishing the open one.