Wine Balloon

The Wine Balloon is a wine preservation tool that keeps an opened bottle fresh longer. A thin balloon is lowered into the bottle and inflated until it seals against the glass, pushing out the air that would otherwise oxidize the wine. Founder Eric Corti, based in the Cincinnati area, wanted a simple way to save a half-finished bottle without fancy pumps or canisters, and the balloon idea was his low-tech answer.

Eric came in asking for a modest 40,000 dollars in exchange for 30 percent of the business. The demonstration was easy to grasp, and the sharks liked the simplicity of the concept. Mark Cuban made an aggressive move, offering far more money than Eric requested in return for taking the entire company, with the founder kept on to run it. Caught up in the moment, Eric agreed to the buyout on air.

The segment stood out because of how dramatically the offer ballooned past the original ask, turning a small 40,000 dollar pitch into a six-figure buyout proposal for the whole company. It became a talking point about how founders can get swept up in a big number, and Eric later reconsidered whether giving up full ownership was the right call.

After the show, Eric backed out of the buyout before signing, choosing to keep control of his company rather than hand it over entirely. He later refined and rebranded the product as Air Cork, gaining new exposure through another invention-focused television program and building out distribution under the new name.

The product is still operating in 2026 under the Air Cork brand. It is sold through the company's official website and on Amazon, where it is marketed as a reusable wine preserver. Rebranding and keeping ownership appears to have paid off, as the product has remained available and on sale for years after the original Shark Tank appearance.