Coravin to become ‘the Nespresso of wine’

Coravin’s CEO, Fred Levy, has bold ambitions for the brand and wants to turn the gadget into “the Nespresso of wine” used in kitchens all over the world.

Coravin’s CEO, Fred Levy, wants it to become ‘the Nespresso of wine’

Speaking to the drinks business during Vinexpo last week, the former president of Nespresso USA said:

“I worked for Nespresso for 20 years so have taken inspiration from my time there in my approach to Coravin.

“Coravin is an aspirational product and my dream is for it to become the Nespresso of wine and to see one in every kitchen all over the world – I want people to retire their corkscrews.”

In terms of the colours the device comes in, Levy revealed that the cherry red edition was inspired by the success of the KitchenAid mixer in the same hue.

He told db that the rose gold edition is proving popular with women, while the matt black version, which he dubs ‘the bad boy’, is successful with men.

The company is currently developing a new range of colours for the gadget but can’t go into specifics about it at the moment.

Having started out marketing the Coravin to wine professionals and male wine lovers, Levy told db that women are now the fastest growing market for the wine access gadget.

“It particularly appeals to professional women in cities like London and New York who want to enjoy a glass of wine after work but don’t want to open or finish a whole bottle,” he said.

In keeping with this current growth, the company is soon to release a TV ad campaign in the US aimed at women.

Coravin recently developed a new device designed to be used on wines bottled under screwcap, which is doing well in restaurants in Melbourne and Sydney, where screwcaps rule the roost. The screwcap-friendly Coravin, which features medical silicon, is good for 50 goes according to Levy.

As to whether we’ll soon be seeing a Coravin for our Bollinger and Krug, Levy says the sparkling wine version is still being developed and there are no plans for a launch date just yet.

He told db that France has been one of the slowest markets to embrace the device due to its deep-set traditions of popping a cork, but that demand was high in South America, where the company is currently focusing on expanding the brand.

“At the moment Coravin is very well known by a few people – we want to change this so it’s known by everyone – our biggest challenge is distribution,” Levy said.