A glass stopper is often called a “ground glass joint” (or “joint taper”), and a cork stopper is called simply a “cork”. Stoppers used for wine bottles are referred to as “corks”, even when made from another material. A common every-day example of a stopper is the cork of a wine bottle.
Re-Cork or Use a Stopper
Like we established above, re-corking your wine or using a wine stopper is an effective option for keeping your wine tasting great for an extra couple of days.
Ye olde refrigerator is an excellent choice for storing your opened bottle of wine, even if it’s a red! The cooler temperatures in your fridge can help slow the process of the wine breaking down and keep it good for up to five days.
Types of Wine Corks
Even within the cork category, there are a few different types of cork closures that winemakers can choose from, because what’s life without a little variety?
Natural Cork
If you’ve ever purchased a bottle of wine, there’s a good chance it had a natural cork closure. Cork is by far the most common wine closure, with 70% of all wines and 89% of fine wines getting sealed with this familiar top. Natural cork is a renewable resource, coming from the bark of a cork oak tree. It gives most consumers the perception of a high-quality wine (although, as we will discuss, this isn’t always the case.) Cork seals the wine by expanding within the neck of the bottle, keeping the wine inside and most oxygen out. It can be beneficial to the aging process of wine by allowing minuscule amounts of oxygen to interact with the wine, adding complexity, and allowing it to mature – kind of like how you may have felt when deciding that wine was your new ~thing~.
The biggest downside to using natural cork is something known as the dreaded cork taint, which is something that we’ll get into later.
Synthetic Cork
Synthetic cork is another option that is available to winemakers. This imitation cork is typically made from plastic (polyethylene to be exact) or from plant byproducts, specifically bio-polyethylene. There is consistency in the production of synthetic cork, there is also consistency in the oxygen transfer to the wine that the cork is sealing, ensuring a predictable aging process. Synthetic cork is also quite durable, more affordable than natural cork, and it is not affected by the ghastly cork taint (we’re getting there, promise!)
Synthetic cork is made from polyethylene and is non-renewable, so this closure option falls short on the environmentally friendly side of things. Some recycling centers will take them, but it depends on the facility. (You can also consider upcycling your old wine bottles!) Some wine professionals also claim that the synthetic nature of these corks adds a subtle chemical smell to the aroma of the wine. Another downside to synthetic cork is that it can be so darn difficult to open. If you find yourself struggling to pull that cork out and have the urge to mutter unsavory phrases that your mother wouldn’t approve of – it’s not you; it’s the cork.
Other Corks
This final, miscellaneous category of corks includes colmated, multi-piece, micro-agglomerated, and agglomerated cork. The latter two are more popular in this category, and are essentially like a sort of cork particle board that’s held together by a binder or glue. These types of cork tend to break down easily, which makes them best suited for wines that will be consumed within six months of bottling.
In the 1970s, our Aussie friends introduced and popularized a new way to preserve wines, and it could be said that they really … screwed things up *ba dum, tss*.
We’re kidding of course. The screw cap was patented and used commercially in the 70s, and winemakers in Australia are the ones responsible for popularizing this new method. In fact, screw tops are the closure of choice for most wine producers in Australia and New Zealand, who are known for their delicious varieties of Sauvignon Blanc. They are used across all varieties and price points, contradicting the popular notion that fine wines must be sealed with cork.
One large upside to the screw cap is that it provides consistency to the oxygen levels that are exposed to the wine. Screw caps can also provide longevity to the wine, although this is a controversial topic among seasoned winemakers. These closures are also affordable, easy to open, and convenient. They also completely rid winemakers of the horrid cork taint, which we will talk about soon.
Be sure to recycle your screw caps! Made from aluminum, infinitely-recyclable resource which requires 95% less energy to recycle than to create “primary aluminum” from raw ore. In fact, about 75% of all aluminum produced in history is still in use – that’s nearly a billion tons of endless recyclability!
Unfortunately, wines are more prone to reduction when sealed with screw caps, meaning that they do not have enough contact with oxygen to age, and they may even lose some of their complexity. This questionable aging ability is another negative factor to consider, although this claim is contested between cork and screw cap advocates.
Screw caps are easy to put back on and pop in the fridge, and bottles with this cap can save footprint space as they can be stored standing straight up as opposed to on their side like wines with natural cork.
Turning a Bottle Stopper (Woodturning Project)
FAQ
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