There is a question that every enthusiast has asked themselves at least once in front of an important bottle: "I'd gladly drink a glass… but is it worth opening the whole bottle?" For years, the answer was a compromise β€” either open it and finish it, or go without. Then, in 2013, the Coravin arrived, born from the intuition of Greg Lambrecht, who combined his knowledge of medical-grade needles with his passion for wine to succeed in pouring without removing the cork.

How it works, in simple terms

A very thin, non-coring needle passes delicately through the cork without removing any material; when the needle is extracted, the cork simply returns to its original shape. As the wine exits the needle, it is replaced by pure Argon gas, so oxygen never touches the wine remaining in the bottle, which stays fresh as the day it was bottled.

Why Argon specifically? It is an inert, tasteless, and odorless gas, already used in the cellar during vinification; being heavier than air, it settles on the wine forming a protective layer that prevents oxygen from reaching it. No alteration of taste: only protection.

Why it is a revolution

The real leap is not technical, it is experiential. Since the cork remains intact, wines preserved with Coravin continue to evolve naturally: you don't "freeze" a moment of flavor, the bottle continues to age over time. And above all, the rest of the bottle remains fresh for weeks, months, or even years.

For you who visit us, this means a simple and wonderful thing: you can taste by the glass labels that elsewhere you would only find by the full bottle. A red from a small producer, a macerated white, a sought-after sparkling wine β€” one sip at a time, without having to choose just one thing for the whole evening.

At Mr.Vino, everything by the glass

We are the first Coravin Wine Bar in Switzerland, and it is around this idea that we have built our menu: to give you the freedom to explore. Visit us at Via Carlo Maderno 23 in Lugano, sit at the counter and let yourself be guided among the producers we love β€” #TUTTOalCALICE.