The best way to store a sparkling wine after you’ve opened it, we’ve been struggling with this since forever. They tell you to put a teaspoon in the bottle, cut the cork on both sides with a knife and stuff this into the bottle. Pour your wine over into a plastic bottle, press the air out and you have a vacuum wine. We’ve all heard and tried well-intentioned tips and tricks but do they really work? Actually, no.

Storing sparkling wine

Due to failed attempts to successfully preserve our sparkling wines, we have become accustomed to finishing the bottle on the same night with little chance to vary between different sparkling wines, unless you are with a group of friends. Do you have two fine Champagnes lying around that you want to taste side by side with your lover? Too bad. In a restaurant you get the choice between a Cava by the glass or the house Champagne. Would you prefer something more exclusive by the glass? Unfortunately this is not possible because if you are the only adventurer tonight, we (the restaurateur) will empty the bottle at the end of the evening or the staff will have a great after work drink and the boss an empty wallet.

Coravin sparkling

Coravin has been helping us to give our still wines a longer life. With an ingenious technique where a needle goes through the cork, a glass of wine is poured, the void is filled with argon gas and the bottle can be stored back into the climate controlled cabinet and be kept for years to come. The Coravin Pivot, read more here, came on the market a little later, here you remove the cork or screw cap from the bottle, you put a rubber cap inside and then you fill your glass with the same argon gas technique. You can easily keep the bottle in the fridge for another 4 weeks.

Storing wine with bubbles was a challenge for the brain behind Coravin – Greg Lambrecht. He tried in vain to pierce through the cork… with little success. But, where there is a will there is a way and the moment has come to introduce the Coravin sparkling to the general public.

Coravin sparkling innovates by giving us a way to preserve sparkling wine for up to a month, without losing bubbles. How it works? Simple. You open the bottle, pour a glass, put the special plastic cap on the bottle and fill the empty space in the bottle with CO2 by placing the loose handle on the cap.

Coravin sparkling review

Now of course the question… Does it really work?
I tried it out with the Saint Gall Blanc de blancs premier Cru, a delicious Champagne made from 100% chardonnay. A beautiful aperitif that I often have in the fridge. An elegant Champagne with lots of lemon, white blossom, crispy white fruit and almond.

I opened the bottle on May 3, 2022 and drank a lovely glass on the couch after a long flight. I saved the rest of the bottle with the Coravin sparkling. Today on May 20, I pour myself another glass and what turns out? I taste no difference from a just opened bottle. Experiment successful.

Who is this product for? Indispensable for the professional, restaurant owners and sparkling wine fanatics. Slightly pricey to buy, but if you have often thrown away expensive Champagnes, this is the solution!