It’s still a blind test — just one where the results may be influenced by seeing other responses in real time.
I use Coravin several times per week as my wife doesn’t typically drink during the week and I would rather sample a glass or two than open one bottle over several nights. I will Coravin down to about 1/2 bottle after which I’ll just open in. I’ve never found any issues on wines over a several month period. I have a couple of experiences with wines over about 2 years:
One was a '13 Insignia which I took about a glass from and it was way to young. Two years later it was drinking beautifully. I don’t know if the Coravin helped it age quicker or whether this would have been identical without the Coravin.
The other was a '12 Achaval-Ferrer Finca Bella Vista. This one a little more than half the bottle was left and at the time of the Coravin it was very closed, my notes said to decant before opening. I forgot about it and two years later it was quite flat and lifeless without a decant.
As far as which model, I upgraded from the One to the Three recently because my original was coming apart (couldn’t figure out if it was missing a screw or something). This is perfectly functional. The automatic model seems very expensive for me and I think is more geared towards professional use for pouring out exact amounts. Would be very cool to have but not really needed for me the way I use it.
in my experience: 2 weeks. I have noticed big declines in wine held longer.
I made the plunge. Bought the Model 5. We’ve been doing Dryuary, and also dieting. Next month, we’re hoping to get to a point where we can each have a glass or two, and then Coravin the bottle. That way we don’t blow our diet, and can have some wine without worrying about an open bottle sitting on a shelf going bad.
Thanks for the responses and tips.
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Nice work Paul! If you follow the tips in this thread (purge the needle, avoid old corks, and pop the bottle when there’s 1/4 left are my main ones), I’m confident you’re going to love it.
Shoot me a PM if you want to hear how I use generic cartridges to save some $$$
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I tend to use Coravin on bottles that I store upright in the fridge for a week or two. I typically don’t notice much change in the wine over this period of time (except those times when the cartridge runs out while I’m pouring a glass).
Last March, I Coravin’d a few ounces out of a 2008 Galardi. I wanted to compare two bottles of the same wine. They were very similar. I put some blue tap over the capsule (as a reminder that I’d used Coravin) and put it back in my wine fridge, on its side. A few days ago, I decided to pour another glass from that bottle. It tasted great and just like I remember it tasting in March. Not a very scientific assessment, obviously, but I was pleasantly surprised. I had expected the wine to be shot.