"It looks very pretty, but it's the worst thing that you can do."
Gary Olasz, Market Director APAC, Coravin
A Coravin Timeless left standing in a bottle between pours does look very pretty. However, that is precisely the problem, Gary Olasz told a room of sommeliers in the Savoy's tasting studio. It is the habit he sees most often and rates worst, and it set the tone for a session that was less a product demonstration and more a lesson in craft.
Most of what decides how long a Coravin Timeless-poured bottle lasts, and how many glasses a capsule gives, comes down to small things done consistently: the angle of the bottle, the length of a tap, which way the device comes off and where the bottle sleeps afterwards. This guide sets out the 10 habits from Olasz's masterclass at the first Coravin Symposium for Sommeliers in the order they happen at the table.
Using Coravin Timeless at a Glance
- Pouring angle: 45 degrees, so gravity does the work
- Glasses per capsule: 15–17 from a standard capsule with quick taps, 20–22 from a Pro capsule
- With the trigger held down: as few as three or four glasses per capsule
- How long the bottle lasts: 10+ years, stored on its side, cork permitting
- Best needle for long keeping: Vintage (smallest incision)
- Cleaning: one minute under warm to hot water for the spout, then take the needle off and give the needle thread area one minute, after every service
Skip to:
Before the Pour
The first decisions are made before the needle goes anywhere near a cork.
01Habit 1 of 10Check the closure before anything else
Not every closure will take a needle. Olasz takes the foil off most bottles, partly as a marker: a bare neck on the shelf says this is the bottle being poured by Coravin Timeless, and nobody reaches for a corkscrew by mistake. It also shows what the wine is sealed with. He had recently opened a négociant Hermitage from one of his dearest producers and found a plastic cork underneath.
"Coravin doesn't work [on these closures], sadly. But that's what it is. So we need a good cork for this one."
Gary Olasz
In practice: look at the closure before you pick up the device. Natural cork and Diam will take a needle (see habit 9 for Diam); plastic will not.
02Habit 2 of 10Keep the foil on for old wine bottles
Old bottles are the exception to the foil-off rule. With an older wine, nobody knows what state the cork is in until the foil comes away, and the foil is doing it a favour by staying put.
"With old, old wines, leave the foil on, because you don't know what condition the cork is in."
Gary Olasz
In practice: on an old or fragile bottle, insert the needle through the foil and leave it where it is.
The Pour
Held at the base in the dominant hand, the needle glides through. What happens in the next ten seconds is where most of the gas, and most of the mistakes, go.
03Habit 3 of 10Pour at 45 degrees
The argon pressurises the bottle, but it is gravity that brings the wine out. Tilting the bottle to around 45 degrees lets it flow with very little gas; tilting it back upright stops the pour.
"Now, Coravin needs gravity for the best usage. 45 degrees is perfect for it. And quick taps on the trigger."
Gary Olasz
Anyone curious about the mechanics behind the needle and the gas can read how Coravin works; in the room, Olasz kept to what the hands should do.
04Habit 4 of 10Use quick taps, never a held trigger
One tap starts the flow; if it stops, one more. Olasz poured a measure without a splash and pointed out why: hardly any gas had gone in. Holding the trigger down is the expensive habit, because that is where the gas goes.
He offered the arithmetic as a trick of the trade. Quick taps stretch a standard capsule to 15 to 17 glasses and a Pro capsule to 20 to 22. A trigger held down for a long time can burn through a capsule in three or four glasses. For a two-glass order the method does not change: tap, let it run, stop halfway, tap again, release.
The common mistake: holding the trigger for the whole pour. It works, but it can cut a capsule's yield from 15 or more glasses to three or four.
After the Pour
The glass is poured. The next two habits protect the bottle that is left, and the next bottle in line.
05Habit 5 of 10Take the device off straight away, sideways
A device left standing in the bottle looks like good service. Olasz called it a kind of decanting, but not really, and bad for preservation: with the needle still in and no argon going in, air finds its way into the bottle.
"As long as I leave it over there, there's no argon going in, and the needle is in, so micro-oxygen is going into the bottle. So, as soon as you've used it, take it off."
Gary Olasz
Removing it has a technique of its own, one that owes more to anatomy than to wine.
"I like to do it sideways, not by pulling it up, because we are not as strong in the shoulder; as a human being, you are stronger in the chest."
Gary Olasz
In practice: spout upwards, then down and out, the moment the pour is finished.
06Habit 6 of 10Purge between different wines
After a pour, some wine stays in the needle. Olasz demonstrated by purging and showing the room what came out. His example was the Northern Rhône, where some producers are fond of a touch of Brettanomyces, the yeasty, foxy note he called great in small measure and unwelcome in a very good wine. Carried on the needle into a clean bottle, it inoculates the second wine, and two months later it shows. A Musigny Grand Cru should not smell like that.
"If you want to make sure it's clean as a whistle, you want a quick purge after you use it. If it's the same wine, you don't have to."
Gary Olasz
In practice: a short burst of argon through the needle before it goes into a different bottle. No purge is needed when returning to the same wine.
Storing the Bottle
How long does wine last with Coravin? Olasz's answer was conditional, and the conditions are the point.
07Habit 7 of 10Store the bottle lying down
The needle leaves what Olasz called a micro-tear in the cork, and it seals almost immediately once wine reaches it. A bottle stored upright lets the cork dry, and a dry cork, or one already in poor condition, is where oxygen finds its way back in. Lay the bottle down and he puts the horizon at ten years and beyond.
"Even when you're storing the wine, it's important that the wine touches the cork, so it doesn't dry out."
Gary Olasz
He was candid that the cork itself is a huge factor; the rest of the routine exists to give it the best possible chance.
08Habit 8 of 10Keep most reds in the fridge
The second storage habit will be familiar to anyone who has worked a hot pass in August.
"Now, also, we have sommeliers and a lot of wine people over here. Oxygen reacts quicker at a higher temperature. So with most of the red wines, if you can, put it into the fridge. Yes. Take it out and use it, put it back. Preservation: the longevity of the bottle will be longer. You'll spot the difference."
Gary Olasz
In practice: most reds live in the fridge between pours and come out only for the glass, going straight back once it is poured.
This unglamorous part of the routine is what makes a serious by-the-glass list possible at all. It is the premise behind the Coravin Guide's argument that the future is by the glass, and behind the pours now found across London's wine-by-the-glass bars.
Choosing the Needle
Needle choice was the subject the room came back to most.
09Habit 9 of 10Match the needle to the job
Olasz's rule is simple enough to remember mid-service: the smaller the hole, the longer the preservation.
"The Vintage needle is the best, because it makes the smallest incision. The Fast Pour needle pours wine very fast."
Gary Olasz
Speed is the honest trade-off. Asked how long a glass takes, Olasz, who has worked restaurant floors and said so, did not dress it up: 27 seconds for 150ml on the Fast Pour needle, and probably 32 seconds for a 170ml pour with quick taps. A long time, he agreed, and the price of a ten-year window on a super-premium wine.
A sommelier in the room asked about Diam closures. Yes, said Olasz, with a caveat.
"It's harder. I recommend using the Vintage needle or the Premium needle. That one drives through it, and it works really well."
Gary Olasz
| Situation | What to use | Why |
|---|---|---|
| A bottle that needs to last for months or years | Vintage needle | Smallest incision, longest preservation |
| A Diam closure | Vintage or Premium needle | Drives through the harder material; can take longer |
| A wine that will sell through quickly | Fast Pour needle | Faster flow, around 27 seconds per 150ml |
| A plastic cork | Not a needle device | Use Coravin Pivot: the plastic cork comes out and a Pivot stopper goes in |
When Speed Matters More Than Years: Pivot
For bottles that will be gone within a month, Olasz pointed to Pivot, Coravin's tube-based device. The cork or screw cap comes out and a Pivot stopper goes in; it works with the same argon, has a push button rather than a trigger, and pours a glass in around six seconds, with up to four weeks for the bottle.
The "up to" depends on speed: once the cork is pulled there are roughly 20 to 30 seconds to get the stopper on. Because the button does not burn gas the way a trigger can, a Pro capsule gives more than 30 glasses, which is why Olasz recommends restaurants keep both.
Cleaning
The last habit came from a question about the needle, and turned into Olasz's favourite analogy.
10Habit 10 of 10Rinse it like a wine glass
At the end of every service, or every evening at home, the cleaning routine is the same.
"…you want to make sure you put the spout under the tap. One minute. Warm to hot water, not boiling."
Gary Olasz
Then the needle comes off and the needle thread area gets its own minute. Done daily, the device lasts for years. What goes wrong without it is specific: Brettanomyces, again, and residual sugar from a German Spätlese or from Yquem, which can clog the whole system. A neglected device can usually be brought back to life, but the point is not to need that.
"I always say, treat your Coravin like your wine glass."
Gary Olasz
Almost nobody cleans a corkscrew, he observed. Everybody cleans a glass. Habit ten belongs in the second category.
Why Argon, and Whether the Supply Will Hold
The questions at the end moved from the hands to the chemistry. Coravin argon comes in small capsules for a reason, and Olasz drew a sharp line between those and the large cylinders seen behind some bars and in wineries.
"With argon, it's very important: in small doses, everything is fine with it."
Gary Olasz
A big cylinder, he said, is neither 99.9 per cent pure nor safe if it leaks in a closed room, where in that dose argon pushes the oxygen out of the lungs; people have died in wineries that way. A capsule opened in the tasting studio would do nothing at all.
One questioner asked why some countries do not allow argon. Government regulation, Olasz replied, having handled the paperwork for Japan, where it was once restricted and no longer is. Another, with the price of helium in mind, asked whether argon would run short.
"It doesn't escape like helium, because it's heavy, so it wants to stay."
Gary Olasz
Ten habits, then, none of them difficult and most of them cheaper than the alternative. What they share is that every one is on the wine's side: the closure checked, the needle chosen, the bottle laid against its cork and kept cold, the next wine kept clean of the last. The question of how to use a Coravin turns out to be a question about care. The device holds the argon. The sommelier does the preserving.
The Checklist to Take Back to the Floor
- Check the closure first: a plastic cork will not take the needle (use Pivot instead), and an old bottle should keep its foil on.
- Pour at 45 degrees with quick taps on the trigger, never a held trigger, and tilt the bottle upright to stop.
- Take the device off the moment the glass is poured, pulling sideways rather than straight up.
- Purge the needle between different wines so a Brettanomyces-marked bottle does not inoculate the next one.
- Store the bottle lying down so the wine touches the cork, and keep most reds in the fridge between pours.
- Use the Vintage needle for the longest keeping; Vintage or Premium for Diam closures; Fast Pour for quick sellers.
- Rinse the spout and the needle under warm to hot water for a minute at the end of every service.
Questions People Ask
Which Coravin needle should I use?
The smaller the incision, the longer the preservation, so the Vintage needle is the choice for bottles that need to last. The Fast Pour needle pours much faster, at 27 seconds for 150ml by Olasz's figure, and suits wines that will sell through quickly. For a Diam closure, he recommends the Vintage or Premium needle, which drives through the harder material.
Should the foil be removed before using a Coravin?
On most bottles, removing the foil makes the Coravin bottle easy to identify on the shelf. On old wines the advice is the opposite: leave the foil on, because the condition of the cork is unknown until it comes off.
How should a bottle be stored after using a Coravin?
Take the device off as soon as the pour is finished, remove it sideways, and lay the bottle down so the wine touches the cork and the needle hole seals. Most red wines are best kept in the fridge between pours, because oxygen reacts faster at higher temperatures. Done this way, Olasz puts preservation at ten years and more, depending on the cork.
How many glasses does a Coravin capsule give?
With quick taps on the trigger, 15 to 17 glasses from a standard capsule and 20 to 22 from a Pro capsule, by Olasz's count. Holding the trigger down for the whole pour can use a capsule up in three or four glasses.
Does a Coravin work on plastic corks or Diam closures?
Not on plastic corks: Olasz described finding one under the foil of a négociant Hermitage and said the device sadly does not work with it; for those bottles, Coravin recommends Pivot instead. Diam closures do work, though they are harder to go through and can take longer, and the Vintage or Premium needle is recommended for them.
Why argon?
Argon is heavy, so it stays where it is put rather than escaping the way helium does, and in the small doses of a Coravin capsule it is safe. The capsules are 99.9 per cent pure, unlike the large cylinders seen in some bars and wineries, which Olasz said are dangerous if they leak in an enclosed room. Supply, by his account, is good, with no price rise expected but no promise made.
Coravin masterclass: best practice with the Timeless system. Taught by Gary Olasz, Market Director APAC, Coravin, at the Coravin Symposium for Sommeliers, The Savoy, London, 5 October 2026.