When it comes to technology and wine, sometimes I can be a bit of a Luddite. But Greg Lambrecht, inventor of the Coravin, has me preaching the gospel of progress and innovation. Why? How? Well check out this pictured bottle of wine that I tasted.
Initials are from two MWs (Masters of Wine) who witnessed the bottle being “opened” on these two dates.
First of all, it’s a fantastic wine. Meursault is a region of Burgundy extremely well-regarded for some of the finest Chardonnay in the world. (The producer, Alex Gambal, was new to me. Highly recommend, BTW.) But even more interesting are the dates scrawled on the label, beginning with 4/26/13.
That is the date the bottle was first opened. Yes, well over a year ago.
It was fresh as a daisy. Lively. Delicious. Seems impossible, right? Enter the Coravin, a wine access system involving a needle (don’t be scared), argon gas, and years of development and testing. I sat down at The Barrel Thief in Seattle’s Fremont neighborhood with Lambrecht to get a demonstration of exactly how Coravin works from the inventor himself. It’s all captured on my latest Wine Without Worry podcast. After some Barolo, we move on to discuss these topics regarding the invention and inventor:
How its impacted by-the-glass offerings at restaurants.- Getting from Schnapps to 1990 Chave Hermitage.
- Having a wine bar at home.
- Going global with the Coravin.
- The recall to repair earlier this year.
- The restless mind of the inventor. Leading to…
- Will the Coravin one day work with sparkling wine? Screwcaps?
So how might a wine bar use a Coravin? I also spend a few minutes chatting with The Barrel Thief Owner Christopher Gronbeck. Does having 160-170 wines by the glass get your attention? Instead of a bottle list full of things you’ll never scratch the surface of trying, Gronbeck’s got it all open (via Coravin, naturally) for you to sample. Like wines from Lebanon, Israel, and older vintages of white Rioja and Bordeaux. Plus much more.
Enjoy the show:
Wine Without Worry Podcast: Greg Lambrecht, Inventor of Coravin
Still Life With Coravin:
Photo of Coravin and Lambrecht courtesy Allison+Partners.
