Coravin = Slo/Ox ![[swearing.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/8/8a0d3f3461d40641d294442fc2be78039bf94d19.gif "[swearing.gif]"){kind=small}
STILL…
There is a slow ‘oxy’ going on in the bottle over days (no, not years 
). WHERE is the oxygen coming from?!
(Better than previous wine-saving methods, but this is not the panacea I expected!)
Any advice other than starting a class-action suit against Coravin would be heartily appreciated.
The other day, after I pulled the needle, I turned the bottle upside down - and wine came out of the hole. The next day, the cork was resealed. But, I wonder how long the hole is open, how much oxygen gets in, and whether all the gas from the canister escapes. Either way, it makes me question how well the Coravin can actually work.
Anyone else have this issue?
Tasted three wines last night that were coravined for about 10 days. All were showing signs of oxidation. Which was a shame as they were the L’Arco wines.
I posted a similar concern recently. Someone recommended storing the bottle sideways after Coravin use. I also make sure the cork is covered with wine so that often means the bottle needs to be tilted with neck slightly lower than the base if you have around 50% of the wine volume remaining.
So far so good, but admittedly with only about 4-5 bottles tried using this method.
A physicist could address this better, but I assume the argon expands a bit in the bottle’s headspace and creates a little bit of positive pressure and might push wine out if the bottle is immediately laid down.
try a Pungo!
I’ve only had a couple of failures over the past 12mos or so. Probably up to 50 bottles so far. One was accessed multiple times over a couple of weeks, the other I kept upright. I have noticed some mild degregation with bottles I access multiple times (and I’m sensitive) but I switched to the smaller needle and this got better. I also haven’t tried it on anything older than '95 or so. I would definitely keep on the side, giving the cork 5-10mins or so to re-expand before turning sideways.
Are they even on sale yet?
[quote=“Barry Sunderland”]Coravin = Slo/Ox
In theory, my method is not exposing the wine to ANY oxygen. But, that’s just theory… ![[bleh.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/c/cbb27a94fa73081862abf910a8bfa05e2ae2f5c3.gif "[bleh.gif]"){kind=small}
So why the slo/ox?
SOMEONE put me on the order list for the PUNGO, IF Alan is right about it, p-l-e-a-s-e…
Barry, after reading your title, but before reading your post, I said to myself, he needs to:
I’ve been doing that the past few months and have gotten much better results than I did initially. You’re right, it doesn’t seem like you are exposing the wine to any oxygen. I make sure I seal with poster puddy on immediately after withdrawing the needle–like within a second. (Same with purging oxygen from the needle.)
bmiller@namiresearch.com sells them. No affiliation.
As it pours you will notice that the stream starts off strong immediately after pressing the argon lever and then a couple of seconds later the stream slows down. I noticed that if I turn the bottle upright after the stream weakens, the wine seems to oxidize quicker. If it turn it upright immediately after pressing the argon lever the wine keeps longer. I assumed this means there is more argon and less oxygen in the bottle this way. I also turn the bottle on its side when I am done.
An issue I have come across is when a bottle has been recently added to my wine cooler and opened soon thereafter is there is a noticeable hiss of air entering the bottle as the needle clears the bottom of the cork on insertion due to cooling of the gas inside the bottle. I would assume that a rapid rise in barometric pressure that has not had a chance to equalize would cause a similar inrush of ambient air and that this issue would occur with any similar method of wine delivery (i. e. Pungo).
Overall I have been satisfied with the Coravin but I also have had some bottles show some oxidation in a short period of time while others have been unaffected for months. I also try to stand the bottle upright before the wine completely stops flowing which wastes a small amount of argon but I think does a better job of preventing any inrush of ambient air. I try to lower the bottle to its side shortly after I stop pouring and watch for any immediate leaks. I’m not sure how much more effective the Pungo might be since the mechanism is so similar other than leaving the Pungo in the bottle. I always have several different bottles of wine available at any time with Coravin.
inherently flawed product and design.
That is consistent with my experience. But at least that make up for it with customer service that totally honks.
A
my wife - extremely tolerant of my wine geekdom and a massive fan of burgundy and champagne - had the most prescient quote about the Coravin in an LA restaurant using it exclusively for all their BTG offerings:
“Just open the f*cking bottle already”
yep
+100 on the Pungo
I use it constantly and have saved bottles for several months. I have yet to experience any degradation, even with bottles stored using the pins.
I barely use the Coravin anymore. I’m considering selling it.
The inrush of air is likely due to the Coravin’s venting mechanism, which activates whenever the bottle is upright. Just to clarify, the Pungo has no venting mechanism. The Pungo/bottle remains completely closed to the atmosphere during insertion and when not in use. Pulling the trigger first opens a valve allowing wine to flow; continual deflection of the trigger will introduce argon to displace the flowing wine. This argon never gets vented, which helps maintain the wine’s nose (aromatics can escape with the argon) and keeps argon usage to a minimum. Releasing the trigger causes the valve to close, completely sealing the bottle.
Yaacov’s wife is correct.*
*I’ll bet this phrase is uttered frequently.