Coravin, Inc. is a company based in Burlington, Massachusetts that manufactures products for the wine industry. Its first product, the Coravin System, uses patented technology to pour wine without taking the cork out of the bottle.
Coravin, Inc. was founded in 2011 by Greg Lambrecht, a Massachusetts Institute of Technology graduate and medical device inventor. Nick Lazaris, the former CEO of Keurig, joined as CEO.
On July 29, 2013, Coravin launched its first product, the Coravin 1000 System. In September 2014, Coravin announced the opening of their European Headquarters, Coravin B.V., located in Amsterdam. Frederic Levy, former Nespresso executive was appointed CEO in February, 2015. By June 2015, Coravin, Inc. announced that it had secured $13.6 million in Series C-1 financing.
History of Coravin Timeline
December 1998: Greg Lambrecht first has idea to pour wine without removing the cork.June 5, 2003: First successful wine pour by prototype.December 2003: Filing of first provisional patent application.August 18, 2005: First patent issued.February 2011: Coravin LLC formed.September 2011: Blind taste test with Master of Wine (Sandy Block, Legal Sea Foods).January 2012: Blind taste test with sommelier, Jeff Porter (B&B Hospitality).April 2012: Nick Lazaris joins Coravin, LLC as President/CEO.July 29, 2013: Coravin launches its first product – The Coravin 1000 Wine Access System.December 2013: Coravin LLC becomes Coravin, Inc.July 2014: Coravin announces a retail partnership with Harrods, its first international business partner.September 2014: Coravin announces the opening of its EU headquarters in Amsterdam.December 2015: Coravin launches with distribution partner, Watson’s Wines, in Hong Kong.February 2015: Fred Levy, former President of Nestle Nespresso USA is appointed CEO of Coravin, Inc.May 2015: Landry’s announced that it would be rolling out a Coravin wine by the glass program in all 64 Morton’s The Steakhouse restaurant locations across the U.S.June 2015: Coravin, Inc. wins Silver Stevie in American Business Awards’ “Startup of the Year” category.The Coravin System uses a medical grade needle and a capsule of Argon gas to pour a bottle of wine through the cork. The cork is never removed. This helps prevent oxidation, increasing the longevity of the wine. It accomplishes this by first inserting a hollow needle through the cork. The user then presses a trigger to pressurize the bottle with argon gas. When the user releases the trigger, the wine pours into the glass. The needle is removed from the cork, a naturally elastic and porous material, which then reseals, protecting the wine from oxidation and leaving the remaining wine unaffected.
When it launched in July 2013, the Coravin System garnered attention from both media and wine professionals, described by some as “transformational,” and a “game changer” due to the potential to change wine consumption habits.
Jancis Robinson, Financial Times, "Nothing I know of preserves wine in an opened or 'accessed' bottle for years as this system does."Joe Bastianich, restaurateur, wine expert, and Coravin Investor, “This product is nothing short of amazing for both restaurateurs and wine lovers alike."Jennifer Jolly, USA Today, “Wine lovers rejoice! The ridiculously cool Coravin System can provide a glass of wine from a bottle without ever actually popping the cork, preserving the freshness of the vessel with zero hassle.”Alder Yarrow, Founder and Editor of Vinography, “I’ve never written a product review on Vinography because I’ve never met a wine accessory that was worth writing about. But there’s a first time for everything, apparently.”Cook's Illustrated, “The results were indisputable: Tasters found the wines we poured from Coravin, which had been open for a month, just as good as wine from freshly opened bottles.”Gear Patrol “The Coravin wine system ($299) is to wine what the black hat is to the white rabbit: a magician’s portal. Without removing the cork (which would aerate the wine and disrupt the rest of the bottle), it takes the wine inside the bottle and allows you to pour it outside the bottle. How it works is relevant and interesting on the level that all small engineering marvels are interesting, but the big reveal is the fact that it actually does work.”By June 2014, 13 complaints had been made of broken bottles following use of the Coravin. Coravin's founder estimates that only 1 in 70,000 bottles will break and he attributes the issue to bottles that have been previously dropped and cracked. In response to the complaints, Coravin sent purchasers a neoprene protective sock to cover the bottles.
The Coravin System has been nominated and won several awards for recognition in innovation or technology.
November 2013 – Popular Science “Best of What’s New” in the Home category.December 2013 – La Revue du vin de France “the most innovative product in the world of wine” for 2013.May 2014, The Drinks Business (magazine) “Best Product Launch.”April 2014, Edison Awards – Gold in the “Consumer Products” CategoryJune 2015, The American Business Awards – Silver Stevie Award in “Startup of the Year” CategoryJuly 2015, International Design Excellence Awards – Finalist in “Kitchen Accessories” CategoryReferences[edit]
