I love nice wine. I grew up in (literally IN, our house was attached!) a restaurant. It was called The Red Pheasant, and back in the day it won awards for its wine list. My father was the head chef and also curated the wine list… he was, and still is… a little bit obsessed with wine. As a kid, I remember being around wine a lot. My parents always had a glass with dinner – it was a small pleasure, meant to be enjoyed and savored… a part of the meal, carefully chosen to complement the food. I was always offered a little glass if I wanted, but I always declined. I was a very straight laced kid and wine just wasn’t interesting to me. (Things have changed.)
I love good wine but I live alone. When my boyfriend is here, we’ll open up the good stuff and often drink a whole bottle together. Same goes for family and friends. But if I’m at home alone, it’s usually just one glass. And with my travel schedule + lots of events and socializing, I’ll often forget about it, and it goes bad. So I feel guilty opening up something nice.
Enter the Coravin! This is the coolest gadget ever. I have two different ones: the sparkling and the timeless six. I rave about them all the time. But these are easily my favorite and most-used gadget! I no longer feel guilty opening up a bottle of Flowers, Veuve, or Little Boat and having just one glass!
Coravin Wine Preservation System Review
I have the Sparkling and Timeless Six. My boyfriend has the Pivot. They are all great!!! It really just depends on your needs and favorite wine varietal. Below I am going to give you a little review (and where to buy) each. The universal thing to know is that they are all very easy to use, and work SO WELL. I just think they are the coolest – my favorite bar/kitchen gadget (don’t tell my onion chopper!!!). They’d also make for a great Father’s Day or graduation gift… any wine lover or wine enthusiast would really appreciate this.
Coravin Sparkling
The Coravin Sparkling was my introduction to the brand… they gifted me this last year. I LOVE this. I rarely drink champagne but it’s nice to have a glass every so often. Any time I’d have people over and champagne would be opened, it inevitably would go bad. And champagne is expensive!!! This keeps your champagne PERFECT for up to four weeks.
The first time I used it, I was shocked. I was really craving just a glass of champagne. So I opened up a bottle of less nice champagne (just in case it didn’t work!). I sealed it off with the Coravin Sparkling and the next time I wanted champagne was two weeks later. So I opened up the bottle and I kid you not, it was absolutely perfect… like new. I was an instant believer!
The way that this one works is that you open the bottle of champagne and use one of the Coravin “corks” or as they call them, “sparkling stoppers” to seal off the bottle. (I used to use an inexpensive champagne cork from Amazon, so this process felt familiar. You then charge the bottle with CO2, using the charger. This is super easy, you just line up the charger with the stopper and press down firmly. There is a pressure indicator on the side of the charger, which will change from red to green! Once the indicator reads green, your bottle is fully charged.
Where to buy Coravin Sparkling: Coravin.com, Amazon, Bloomingdale’s, Bed Bath & Beyond, Pottery Barn, Williams-Sonoma.
Coravin Timeless Six
I think that the Timeless Six is pretty much the coolest thing ever as you do not even need to remove the cork. I love it for red wine, but it would also be great for white wine, rose, etc.
This appeals to the laziest of us (though you do need to remove the foil as that can impact the wine). The way this works is that the cork is naturally elastic (so it won’t work on synthetic corks!*) and it actually re-seals itself when you remove the needle. Pretty freaking cool. You just insert the Coravin needle into the cork. Tilt the bottle until the spout is adjacent to your wine glass, and then pull the trigger. Out comes the wine!
*If you have a synthetic cork remove that and use one of the included screw caps.
Where to buy Coravin Timeless Six: Coravin.com, Amazon, Bloomingdale’s, Bed Bath & Beyond, Pottery Barn, Williams-Sonoma.
Coravin Pivot
I wanted to include this one in my review as a) my boyfriend has it so I do have some experience with it and b) it’s the most affordable option. I also really like the aerator. This works similarly to the Timeless Six except in this case, you take the cork out. Open your wine, replace the cork or screw cap with a Pivot Stopper (these are included!). Insert the device through the stopper. And then similarly to the Timeless Six, just tilt the bottle until the spout is adjacent to your wine glass, and then pull the trigger. Out comes the wine! This will preserve your wine for up to 4 weeks!
Where to buy Coravin Pivot: Coravin.com, Amazon, Bloomingdale’s, Bed Bath & Beyond, Pottery Barn, Williams-Sonoma.
Is the Coravin Wine Preservation System Worth It?
For me, this is absolutely worth the money. If I lived with roommates or a partner I might feel differently (a bottle of wine might go quicker!!!) but I love it. I love both my Sparkling and my Timeless Six. Now I almost always have a bottle of champagne in the fridge and “open,” and I’ll take my time savoring a nice bottle of red without worrying about it going bad.
The only con I can think of is the price, in which case The Pivot is still pretty great. The biggest difference between the Pivot and Timeless Six is that the Timeless Six can preserve your wine for much longer… up to a year!
This fun top is La DoubleJ – I am in the medium!
Disclosure: If you buy something through my links, I may earn an affiliate commission, at no cost to you. I only feature things I truly love here. Thanks for your support.
photography by Laura Saur.
Any cons or not so great points? Just asking since it is an investment and want to be sure I understand what I’m purchasing. Thanks!
Also, would LOVE a post with your fave wines (red and sparkling in particular) 🙂
Hi Marisa,
I have done a few posts if you search wine here.
https://thestripe.com/nine-of-my-favorite-wines/
https://thestripe.com/learning-about-orange-wines/
for champagne it’s usually veuve clicquot yellow label. if i’m being reallllllly fancy (like a special celebration i love the grande dame or also krugg!)
None that I can think of! It’s an investment, but it’s really well done!
Alright, your outfit here is impeccable!! The feather top with the emerald slide heels?! You are absolutely dressed to be giving lovely wine recommendations :))
Thank you so much!!!!! 🙂 xx
My husband gifted me The Pivot for Mother’s Day! I can’t wait to try it. He’s not a huge wine drinker so I often found myself wasting bottles of wine. So excited to have this gadget!
It is the absolute best!!!
For the sparkling system, now many users do you get out of one of the gas canisters?
I actually was not sure (I’ve used mine a ton since January and am still on the first cannister!) so I googled it – here’s what they say!
Each Coravin Pure™ Sparkling CO2 Capsule preserves up to 7 standard 750mL bottles. (Capsule life can vary based on usage patterns.)
I bought a Coravin from your recommendation and I absolutely love it…even more than I thought I would. It has totally changed how I think about buying and drinking wine. So much easier to “treat myself” to a glass of something good and not worry about it. As a single lady, you can’t ask for much better than that!
I had friends over for dinner the other night and felt so fancy being able to offer 3 different kinds too. Felt like hostess with the mostess…which I learned from you. Now I just need that feathered top to complete the moment.
I need the sparkling system…I have a fridge full of champagne I am afraid to open.
Ah this makes me so happy!!!!!! I completely agree. It is so nice to open up the good stuff and not worry. Annnnd to open up multiple bottles!
I’m not a wine drinker but my husband is. I just got him a Coravin for his birthday last month. He loves it!
Ah I am so glad to hear that!
Here many months later (shopping for a gift) and only now noticing the adorable pic. Sneaky, Grace, sneaky! 😉
That’s a great idea ! I have never really acquired a taste for wine and my Dad owned a Liquor store so it was always available. Except the fruity kinds or mixed sweet drinks. My husband had liked a glass or two . I think if I split a bottle with him, I’d be a little too happy to leave my couch, lol. Im a lightweight. But it’s a great idea. You look adorable .
That’s such a great idea ! I have never really acquired a taste for wine . Strange because my Dad owned a Liquor store and it was always at home and available. I liked the fruity kinds or the mixed sweet drinks. My husband had liked a glass of wine or two . I think if I split a bottle with him, I’d be a little too tipsy but too happy to leave my couch, lol. I’m such a lightweight. But it’s a great idea. You look adorable .