Does anyone just cork and skip the shrink wrap?

[Bmd2k1]

Hi All,

A friend brought us a bottle of wine from Eastern Washington from a winery and it had no top on the bottle, just corked. I don’t know that I’ve ever seen this (closest is a screw top).

Is there a downside to not shrink wrapping?

Dave

I never shrink wrap.

Cheers!

 

[BarrelMonkey]

Hi All,

A friend brought us a bottle of wine from Eastern Washington from a winery and it had no top on the bottle, just corked. I don’t know that I’ve ever seen this (closest is a screw top).

Is there a downside to not shrink wrapping?

Dave

For home winemaking, I never add shrink wrap. These days, QC on corks is good enough that I don't think adding a capsule has a functional role.

But for commercial wines I think it's an interesting question. Do you think that adding foil (or wax seal, or some other closure) imparts a more prestigious, or luxury feel to the wine? Would you think less of a premium wine (say >$50 per bottle) that had just a bare cork closure?

 

[winemaker81]

But for commercial wines I think it's an interesting question. Do you think that adding foil (or wax seal, or some other closure) imparts a more prestigious, or luxury feel to the wine? Would you think less of a premium wine (say >$50 per bottle) that had just a bare cork closure?

To me, a wine looks cheap without the foil. Besides, the original purpose was to keep the cork and top of the bottle clean, and that still holds true. My bottles in the cellar collect dust over time, and I've purchased commercial wines (online) that were covered in cardboard dust.

 

[David Violante]

Interesting question…. My first answer is no, it wouldn’t because I’m more interested in what’s in the bottle not necessarily how it looks.

My follow up is putting my public health hat on and wondering how the enclosure fared on the road from bottling to sitting on a shelf somewhere. Of course boxes would prevent most things from settling in the space where the cork sits, and it’s easy to see if someone has tinkered with the cork or contents if there’s an in-tact enclosure. It’s not a problem until it’s a problem. That’s why we now have sealed and shrink wrapped over the counter medications in child-proof containers.

That being said, if I liked the wine, it probably wouldn’t really bother me at all.

 

[sour_grapes]

My follow up is putting my public health hat on

I guess you are glad that they are no longer lead!

 

[David Violante]

I guess you are glad that they are no longer lead!

Oh holy moly don’t even get me started on THAT! LOL