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Kuvée: New “Smart” Bottle Keeps Opened Wine Fresh

April 1, 2016 – Once it is opened, a bottle of wine spoils. Everyone knows that. So you’d better plan on drinking it all or stick the cork back in, put it in the fridge and hope that it tastes OK a day or two later. Fear of spoilage is often a good reason not to open a bottle and certainly not to open two or three at one time.

Enter Kuvée a very cool new system that claims wines will stay fresh for up to 30 days. It is quite a complex system involving a “smart” bottle, refill canisters, and multiple wineries. After reading extensively we’ve figured out how it works, which isn’t immediately apparent from their web site.

A number of California wineries have contracted to supply Kuvée with wine in bulk. Kuvée bottles the wine in aluminum 750 ml bottles that have a collapsible plastic bladder inside, similar to the technique used by bag-in-the-box wines. These aluminum bottles, which are lightweight and recyclable, are really refill canisters.

The “smart” bottle is hollow and the refill canister slides in. To pour a glass of wine, just tip the whole shebang like an ordinary wine bottle, and pour a glass of wine. When you’ve finished pouring, the canister will reseal so that oxygen can’t get in.

But there’s more. The sleek Kuvée smart bottle or cover has Wi Fi and a touchscreen. When a canister is inserted, the screen lights up and shows you the label of the wine you chose along with a description and food pairing suggestions. It will also tell you how much wine is left in the bottle. Another clever feature allows you to order more wine, or select other wines, shipped directly to you using the touchscreen.

Because the canister reseals itself, it can be removed and another installed so if you want to start with something white with an appetizer then move to red with the main course, no problem. The wines will not spoil. It’s pretty amazing.

As a disclaimer, we haven’t tried it so we are relying on the manufacturer’s claims. If it does work as they say, it sounds like a fun tool and a great way to taste and enjoy a variety of wines without worrying about cost and spoilage. The wines available are in the premium pricing category and we’re betting they will be a bit more expensive than retail when bought through the Kuvée system. But that’s not unreasonable considering the special packaging.

Kuvée isn’t on the market yet but there are various pre-order specials at

www.indiegogo.com where they are raising funds for the project. It’s an intriguing idea and we hope it works.