Community Tasting Note

• csimm wrote:

  February 2, 2018 - ...Crisis averted from yesterday's strange Coravin experience. Same bottle as yesterday; Coravin pour again. This was not displaying in any sort of disjointed fashion, but I will say it appears to be a little smoother on the initial pour (compared to the first time this bottle was Coravin'd a month ago). This bottle has now been through 3 piercings of the cork over a month's time. This leads me to believe that some minute amounts of O2 are getting into the bottle at this point. This time it is just slightly less powerful. Just FYI when using Coravin; this doesn't preserve indefinitely and is obviously more vulnerable to spoilage the more you pierce the cork. No fault of the wine of course. Still awesome.

  1 person found this helpful 6,817 views

14 Comments

• #1Winelover commented:

  2/2/18, 3:34 PM - That's interesting. I am finding -- contrary to what Coravin states -- that a little air gets into the bottle and after 3 piercings, it's time to pop and pour! I don't know if it's how I use the Coravin and/or if it's just the Coravin. A work in progress!

• csimm commented:

  2/2/18, 5:04 PM - Ya it is definitely a learning experience for me. I'm experimenting with a few bottles to see how long after one Coravin they'll last before any noticeable changes occur.

• City Squirrel commented:

  2/2/18, 5:07 PM - Wholeheartedly agree with the Coravin remarks gents! Two key practices that have helped improve the longevity: 1) being sure to press the trigger as you begin to insert the needle to clear out any oxygen from the needle and 2) I exclusively use the "vintage needle" regardless of vintage due to its smaller footprint...I'm in no rush. With that said, I watched a bottle of 2006 Buccella Katrina slowly ooze wine from just a single piercing through the cellar door to the point of almost a full drip on the capsule edge. I'm hoping it gel'd itself because it was a darn good glass! While not perfect every time, seems better than any other preservation system out there.

• csimm commented:

  2/2/18, 5:17 PM - Thanks City Squirrel for the great info. I always hit the gas right before inserting, but not right as I go in. I’ll try that. And I’ll use the vintage needle from now on. I have seen oozing before. Of course Coravin says this is normal, temporary, and the cork is supposed to close back up. It doesn’t appear to keep dripping, so that’s good. But O2 must be getting through to some degree. All in all though, yes, not a better device out there currently. Just gotta know/learn its limitations. Thanks again!!

• JS1056 commented:

  2/3/18, 7:28 AM - I have noticed on multiple occasions a slight drop on the cork after Coravin. So has my son.
  To this point I haven’t noticed any harmful effects, but the longest I have waited to open the bottle has been about 6 months.
  I appreciate the tips listed especially pressing the trigger as inserting.

• csimm commented:

  2/3/18, 7:36 AM - JS1056... Was the wine still good after 6 months? Any noticible change that you can recall in the wine’s freshness between the first Coravin and 6 months later? Thanks!

• JS1056 commented:

  2/3/18, 12:02 PM - The wine was fine 6 months later. It was a 2000 Fisher Insigna and it was still very good. Hard to say if it accelerated its development as a result since it is 17 years old to begin with.
  All of the other occasions of “cork bleeding”, we opened the bottle in less than three months so can’t really form an opinion.
  But it does bear watching.

• csimm commented:

  2/3/18, 1:10 PM - Ok great info. Thanks very much!!

• Yack Man commented:

  2/3/18, 2:26 PM - Coravin experience . . . I 'm not completely on board with it. It's probably nice for wineries. You might as well plan on enjoy a great bottle of wine with you and your main squeeze (or friends) for the night but of course, not all circumstances are the same. The last time I tasted the Carter GTO was from the Coravin and it the wine, although excellent, had lost some noticeable traction. Perhaps the Coravin is just not for me. Just my 2 cents.

• #1Winelover commented:

  2/4/18, 7:16 AM - I love my Coravin and use it all the time. From what I have learned over the 1 year owned -- and after talking to Vintners and Winemakers, you can only punch it ~ 3 times - max. After that, you have to open up the bottle.
  As for how long a wine lasts, that is still TBD. I Coravin'ed a '13 Outpost True a year ago and just had another Coravin pour this past week and the wine was 100% great.
  
  It's a work in progress but it is just great and well worth the money.

• Yack Man commented:

  2/4/18, 8:33 AM - Much appreciated #1Winelover. The Coravin system is no doubt a great device for many, but when I open a high end 750 bottle, it's typically a shared experience with others and there is usually nothing left over.

• Cabernet4me2 commented:

  2/7/18, 7:25 PM - I had a few issues when using 5he standard needle, did seem to notice some ‘softening” .....so picked up and solely use the vintage needle for a year or so, much slower pour but really think the smaller foot print has made a difference. Has anyone had any experience with the ZOS preservation thingy?

• #1Winelover commented:

  2/24/18, 4:42 PM - UPDATE: Well, after 14 months using the same needle, I realized that it needed to be cleaned and/or replaced. I cleaned it out but I decided to replace it. I didn't notice that it was punching a larger than normal hole in the cork. I don't know when that started because the corks are usually wrapped but there was a little seepage on a couple of bottles. After 3 bottles that I couldn't figure out, I figured it out.
  
  I don't know how long a needle is supposed to last, but I will check on them every 6 months.

• csimm commented:

  2/25/18, 8:16 AM - Good advice. I imagine they don’t live forever and get crudded up enough that they become less effective over time depending how often you use it. Thanks! I’ll check mine out too.

Add a Comment