Are capsules on the way out? One can hope.

WINE TALK
21

I would estimate in the 2010-2019 vintages bottled that we saved at least $600,000 simply by not buying capsules. Harder to estimate how much we saved in labor by being able to bottle faster (unless you have a dual head spinner capsule application slows down your bottling line considerably and in my experience the hardest part of a bottling line to get consistently spot on is the capsuler) and this saving on labor. It’s not entirely because of this but my winery, vineyard, tasting room (didn’t exist in 2009), offices and personnel are all infinitely better now than they were back then. Certainly mid-upper six figures in pure unadulterated savings has contributed to all of those beneficial things.

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22

Yes wineries please don’t replace capsules with wax. I know there’s a contingent that insists we’re all dummies and you just stick the corkscrew through the wax but it’s still annoying and pointless. Bare neck with vintage on top of cork is best.

23

We used to use a bottle called a Cepage mold. Quite common here in Oregon. They’re nice but hardly austentacious bottles. We then began using a combination of that bottle and a more standards Burgundy shaped bottle. As of 2019 we are simply down to that 1 more simple bottle style for every wine except the Tempranillo Rose which is in a flint bottle. I have never been the hugest packaging guy so our aim is for classic and simple looks.

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24

$600K is a significant cost savings. I would think more wineries will follow this route with costs going up everywhere.

25

I’m sure many/most wineries regard it as a cost of doing business and that they’re as necessary in certain ways as the label itself. I’ve talked with wineries that would never dream of not using capsules regardless of their expense and hassle.

26

You could buy several cases of Charles Lachaux with that much money.

27

Or a modest vineyard.

28

Same with the closure. Head scratcher why wineries use cork vs. screw-cap or DIAM. [scratch.gif]

29

I’m recalling there being some troll on CT and/or social media who crusades angrily against Oregon wineries who don’t use foil on their bottles.

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30

I prefer them nekkid, but some winemakers are shy about taking the plunge.

-Al

31

Or a down payment on a yacht.

32

Jim, thanks for the detail, I really appreciate you putting out some concrete facts. As usual!

The sad truth is that capsules are a wine culture signifier of value and quality. Just like heavy bottles. Or natural corks. Once a market place learns signifiers like these, it’s so hard to unlearn them! And I’m sure that the mega conglomerates have done the research and know how much more they can charge for bottles with capsules in super markets.

But, I’m psyched that producers like those on this thread are leading the way with new ideas. For folks with strong brands, loyal customers, and lots of direct sales, I’d love to see more innovation like this. No capsules, lighter bottles, what else can we change to lower environmental impact, save wine makers and consumers money, and have zero impact on the wine!?! More please!

33

As someone who helps bottle for a number of different labels in the Bay Area, I’ve seen more and more producers go without capsules, which I think is great. Most new producers don’t use them and some producers who have been around longer now use them only for certain higher-end bottlings or have dropped them completely.

34

Yes, they are not so ostentatious, but they are heavy and do not fit in standard racking. Considering that the Willamette Valley aims at being a sort of Ecotopia, it is ironic that these bottles are commonly used.

35

I’m not sure what the percentage of wineries around these parts using “fancy” vs. “regular” glass is these days. We did a blind tasting last week of 12 wines from 9 wineries (not PGC) and a good percentage were pretty big bottles. One was outrageous. The best wine, in our opinion, came from a very humble bottle (producer is also no longer in business but I think that was health related stuff). Small sample and all but I see a decent amount of prestige bottles but it’s far from some scientific survey.

I cringe when wineries want to promote their “greenness.” We can do the best we can to minimize stuff but it does take a bunch of energy and not necessarily the most environmentally awesome things to make (this is actually the easiest part to do at low input levels), sell and ship wine. No, wineries and vineyards are far from “the problem” but I just have a hard time selling some no impact kind of ideal. Fine to talk about what you do (and I think we do decently) but to promote it as some overarching thing strikes me as, well, misleading.

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36

Totally agree Jim.

And thanks for the numbers. At my more modest 2000 case production, that’s $10k a year in capsules! Thank god I ditched them after the 2013 vintage. Never looking back.

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37

To clarify my earlier comment, I like the look of capsules and even like cutting them off with a corkscrew. But, I just don’t think they make much sense (cost and very fiddly at bottling as Jim mentioned) or fulfill an important function. As more and more wineries drop them, I think the perceived quality factor will diminish.

-Al

38

Good point Al. I used to love Ridge’s short capsules and thought - I definitely want something like that. But custom caps are expensive and/or require buying effectively years of stock to make financial “sense.” So I used decent foil caps, and I liked them fine. Bottles without caps seemed a little naked. Then in the early 2010s I saw it totally differently, caps seemed superfluous, bottles looked better to me without them. I get it, some people really like caps. But maybe like fashion we’ll look back and say, what were we thinking? How did you let me wear that?!? [stirthepothal.gif]

39

Yeah, if I had a winery, I wouldn’t use a capsule although maybe branded corks (don’t know the economics). Things evolve. Seems like large bottles are a bigger deal, though.

-Al

40

Cork companies offer branding for free. At least all the ones I have ever used have.

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