What Happened To Wine Doctor After Shark Tank?
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You may be knowledgeable about all the wonderful benefits of drinking one glass of wine every day, but what happens to the remnants of that expensive bottle after just one glass? According to Wine Enthusiast, once a bottle of wine has been opened, the process of oxidation begins which can over time, change the color and flavor of your wine.
Chase Hoyt and his father Bob set out to expand the restricted time frame for wine consumption by inventing a wine preservation kit called "The Wine Doctor." What makes this product different from other systems, apart from a standard vacuum pump, is its specialized cork called the "Intelli-stopper." This patented cork guaranteed not only an air-tight seal but if air did happen to leak into a bottle of wine once resealed, a red indicator light located on the cork would activate (via Shark Tank Blog).
In 2013 Hoyt and his father set out to secure additional funds for their wine invention on Season 5 of "Shark Tank." While it was clear from an Instagram post that they were excited to be participants in the show, did they score an investment?
What did the Sharks think of 'The Wine Doctor?'
Hoyt and his father appeared on episode 529 of Season 5 and wanted $250,000 for a 10% return on their product (per SharkTankBlog). At the time of the show, the pair had been able to sell their product on Amazon and Bed Bath & Beyond but needed more cash to complete orders more efficiently.
While some judges didn't know enough about the market to feel comfortable making an investment on the product, others thought the duo was asking for too much money. Lori Greiner's reason for passing was due to low sales of similar items on QVC. Greiner did make an investment in a wine preservation item in Season 3, now known as the Air Cork, which may be why she passed on the Hoyts' version in Season 5 (via SharkTankBlog).
While there may be ways to tell if your wine has gone bad without spending additional money, there is more than one product out there to preserve the freshness of an opened bottle so unfortunately, all the sharks passed on the Hoyts' wine preservation system.
Where are 'The Wine Doctors' now?
After their appearance on "Shark Tank," Hoyt and his father had success selling The Wine Doctor directly from Amazon and Bed Bath & Beyond. Reviews for the product were split down the middle with some appreciating the high-tech cork while others left feedback that it only 'kept red wine fresh for one day" (via Bed Bath & Beyond).
Ultimately, the business closed its doors in 2018, and even though Chase Hoyt's Twitter account is still active, he makes no mentions of The Wine Doctor and currently sells real estate for Sotheby's (per Linkedin).
Hoyt and his father had big dreams of making it big with their advanced technology cork system in the wine industry. Unfortunately, if you take one gander at Amazon, the wine preservation options are overwhelming. While The Wine Doctor is still available to view on both Bed Bath & Beyond and Amazon, the product is labeled as "unavailable" and their website domain, savethewine.com is currently on the market for over $5,000.