There have been many wine gadgets to come before it, but none have have managed to rise above gimmick status. The Rabbit wine opener? The Vinturi aerator? As someone known amongst his or her friends as a lover of the wine, these are the gifts you hope you’ll never receive. But you will and they will live in a closet right next to the Wine-opoly your aunt got you last Christmas. But the Coravin has climbed the ranks to become the must-have gadget among sommeliers and distributors. Why? It actually works. In short, a surgical needle pierces the foil cap and the cork and injects the bottle with argon gas, creating pressure that pushes the wine out of the needle. The argon then fills the empty space in the bottle to preserve it. What this allows sommelier sis the ability to open a bottle, of, say, fancy Burgundy, pour a glass and then continue to serve the wine in perfect condition even if it takes three months. Over at Eater NY, Levi Dalton explains how it’s being used in NYC and raises some concerns, as a consumer, about the Coravin leads to less transparency. [Eater NY]