At SommCon DC this spring, Coravin founder and inventor Greg Lambrecht led a masterclass on the evolution of wine by-the-glass and joined a rapid-fire panel with retailers, restaurateurs, and industry peers. The room left with more than insights – they left with a sharper read on where the industry is heading, and a new appreciation for what disciplined preservation makes possible.
For those who couldn't be there, here's a look at what the masterclass covered – and what's coming next at SommCon San Diego in November, where Greg will lead the masterclass once again.
The Moment That Stopped the Room
The most memorable part of the DC masterclass wasn't a slide. It was a blind tasting.
Attendees tasted three wines: Champagne Ayala Brut Majeur NV, Stag's Leap "Artemis" Cabernet Sauvignon, and Ceretto Barolo – pouring from glasses that came either from a freshly opened control bottle or from a bottle previously accessed with Coravin Timeless, Pivot+, or Sparkling weeks earlier. The challenge: identify which wine was Coravined in advance.
The room's results mirrored what Coravin has documented across 644 wine professionals and 1,288 taste sets: just 5.7% correctly identified the control glass. Zero glasses were flagged as oxidized. Zero were flagged as not fit to serve. Even during blind tastings at 36 and 48 months out, the accuracy stayed under 5%.
It's the kind of demonstration that changes how sommeliers and beverage directors think about every bottle on their list.
The World Is Drinking Less Wine. It's Also Drinking Differently.
Global wine consumption fell 2.6% in 2023, part of a long-term decline of roughly 12% since 2007. Still wine is taking the biggest hit, while sparkling and fortified categories are showing slightly more stability. Out-of-home wine consumption is forecast to grow modestly – about 3% – between 2025 and 2027.
Meanwhile, consumer behavior is reshaping itself around four themes: health and moderation (drinking less, but better), variety and discovery (smaller formats, more trial), added value experiences (paying more for craftsmanship and occasion), and accessibility (BTG pricing as the entry point to premium wines).
In a recent Coravin consumer survey of more than 1,900 participants, 58% of respondents said they're ordering more wine by-the-glass than they were two years ago. The top reasons:
- Exploring different wines – 53%
- Trying premium wines – 47%
- Dining with non-drinkers – 33%
- Drinking less for health – 30%
- Increased range of wines available – 30%
Asked on the panel what's driving the rise of wine by-the-glass globally, Greg pointed to a shift in mindset:
"People want to explore, and they're comfortable ordering differently. You're willing to pay more for a glass to learn than risk a full bottle."
– Greg Lambrecht
Why By-the-Glass Is the Right Answer for This Moment
SVB's 2026 State of the Industry report echoes what Coravin is observing: while total wine consumption is in multi-year decline, the premium price tiers (+$15) and experiential occasions are showing greater relative resilience.
The opportunity sits squarely with the 30-to-45-year-old demographic, which SVB identifies as the next generation of wine drinkers. Engaging them takes a different approach – one rooted in experience-driven value rather than the passive growth strategies of the past.
For restaurants and wine bars, four principles emerged from the masterclass:
- Design programs for flexibility, not volume
- Use BTG to anchor premium experiences
- Prioritize margin discipline and inventory efficiency
- Refresh lists more frequently to encourage exploration
When the panel turned to how restaurants should think about by-the-glass margin, Greg pushed back on the conventional percentage-based view:
"You don't take in percent – you take in dollars. If you sell a higher-priced glass, your dollar margin increases even if your percentage margin is lower."
– Greg LambrechtThe Waste Problem (And Why It's a Margin Problem)
Without proper preservation, restaurants can see up to 25% or more bottle waste each month on by-the-glass programs. On a modest six-wine BTG list, that adds up to thousands of dollars in annual lost wine and tens of thousands in lost revenue. Scale that across a 20-wine list and the wine waste can equate to a full salary each year.
During the panel, an audience member shared that Coravin had reduced their wine loss by 20-50%. Greg's response reframed waste as the wrong way to look at the problem:
"Why are you not selling what you could sell if you didn't worry about waste? If you offer it, customers will try it."
– Greg LambrechtThat's the gap the Coravin wine by-the-glass system closes:
- Coravin Timeless keeps still wine fresh up to years using Pure Argon Capsules, with the natural cork still in place.
- Coravin Pivot+ is built for fast-paced restaurant service, works with any bottle closure, and keeps wine fresh for up to four weeks.
- Coravin Sparkling holds bubbles and freshness for at least four weeks using a Universal Stopper that fits half, standard, and magnum bottles, with CO₂ Capsules and no need to pour through the device.
The economics are direct. Adding just three premium wines by-the-glass under Coravin can generate roughly $5,000 in additional profit on three cases, or at least $60,000 per year, while keeping COGS around 21%.
Coravin case studies show the same pattern at scale:
- Gordon Ramsay's Savoy Grill, London – by-the-glass revenue +60%, waste −90%
- Hôtel du Palais, Biarritz – average BTG revenue +140%, waste −100%
- Tavernia Estia, Napoli – total wine revenue +100%, waste −100%
What the Panel Confirmed
The rapid-fire panel reinforced these themes from multiple vantage points. Younger consumers, retailers noted, are starting higher on the quality scale rather than working their way up. When the conversation turned to category trends, Greg pointed to sparkling as a quiet driver of incremental orders:
"If someone starts with sparkling, they're very likely to order another glass of wine."
– Greg LambrechtWhen asked about the role of presentation in modern wine service, Greg made the case that the visual matters as much as the pour:
"This is an Instagram generation. Bringing the bottle to the table makes a big difference. Nobody is posting a photo of your wine list." – Greg Lambrecht
The common thread: sommeliers and beverage directors who treat by-the-glass as a deliberate program – not an afterthought – are the ones capturing this shift.
See It For Yourself: SommCon San Diego, November 2026
If the DC session left attendees rethinking their wine programs, the San Diego masterclass is where the conversation continues – with new tastings, new case studies, and the same chance to put Coravin to the test against freshly opened control bottles.
What attendees can expect:
- The full blind tasting experience – taste premium still and sparkling wines preserved with Coravin against fresh controls, and see if you can spot the difference
- The science of preservation, simply explained – how argon and CO₂ keep wine fresh, and what that means for your program
- Practical economics for your BTG list – including the Coravin BTG Loss Calculator that turns waste into a number you can act on
- Live Q&A with Greg – bring your toughest questions about list design, margin, and inventory
"We build more wine lovers by giving people the chance to taste." – Greg Lambrecht
Take the next step:
- Register for SommCon San Diego (November 2026) and join Greg's masterclass in person.