Are capsules on the way out? One can hope.

WINE TALK
41

I used to be fastidious about neatly cutting capsules before opening bottles. But when I came to realize how wasteful and useless capsules are I started removing them completely. I like to think of it as a small form of protest.

42

I like the thin, soft wax (almost rubbery) capsules. Fingers Crossed and Sabelli Frisch come to mind.

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43

I buy wine from Mo Ayoub and he insists on large, heavy bottles and wax capsules on most of them. Canā€™t seem to get him to change despite buying many of them from him.

44

One of the best tastings of my life was in Mo Ayoubā€™s kitchen.

And yes, his bottles are quite heavy.

45

And yet, Moā€™s bottles have actually gotten smaller and lighter in the last 6-8 years. They are still big, but not nearly as big as they use to be. I built my racking based on his old bottles, because they were bigger than even Champagne bottles!

46

Yes! I ditched the capsules on about 70% of our wines in 2016. Nobody ever mentioned it. We are 100% capsule free starting with the 2021 vintage. Itā€™s more of an environmental issue related to the mining and supply chain impact rather than cost savings for me. But, we are a small winery so every bit helps and happy to reinvest the savings into the farm growing food for our staff!

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47

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, itā€™s so hard to unlearn them! And Iā€™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.


Bring on the boxes. I hear some are up to $95/box
champagne.gif

48

Bring on the boxes champagne.gif

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49

Changed to lightweight bottles already last year, and the new Bordeaux bottles for the spring bottling are even lighter. So over lugging heavy glass around, not to mention the impact it has on the environment and shipping costs.

When I started I kind of wanted heavy bottles to signal quality - I think itā€™s a common ā€œnew wine producerā€ trap. But Iā€™m very cured of that now. [cheers.gif]

3 Likes
50

Mondavi created a package with no capsule, just a dab of beeswax over the cork

Did not fly

I think for many the heavy foil is a sign of quality

51

With Covid squeezing the life out of traditional retail, I wonder if some of these cosmetic details about bottles have become less significant. When you buy online, or direct from a producer, you donā€™t know anything about the bottle size/weight, capsule, etc. Isnā€™t that also true for restaurant purchases? Youā€™re just picking off a list, not weighing bottles by hand off store shelves. Seems like this is a time to make a change by producers who have moved to online/direct channels.

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52

I had originally voted that I wanted the capsule to remain but after reading the comments of wine makers I respect above, I have changed my mind. I would like a print on the top of the cork to help in identifying the brand as I lay all my bottles down, neck outward.

53

Many wines with capsules have no such emblem.

54

I think the original purpose of the capsule was to keep cork weevils from boring through the corks. Has anyone here had problems with them?

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55

A discussion from another forum:

I have many capsule-less bottles, and Iā€™ve never spotted a single weevil. I conclude that they are an urban myth, like sewer alligators.

56

Capsules were originally made out of lead to prevent vermin from chewing on corks. We all know the downside to lead. So since the 80ā€™s-90ā€™s capsules are predominatly made from Tin. This Tin is mined in places like Nigeria and then shipped to somewhere like Spain where the wine capsule is manufactured. Then shipped here to the US or other wine regions. Iā€™ve stored all my personal wines without capsules for over 25 years in various underground cellars with rats/mice and have never once seen any damage to the corks. Iā€™m just trying to be thoughtful with my purchasing decisions for the family and companies I work with. When I moved away from the heavy Hanzell bottle with Cartouche that was produced in France, the vast majority of our members either appreciated the change or didnā€™t care. A few of the traditionalist thought it was a move to cheapen the package which certainly was not the case. But, all of our glass is now made in the USA and much more appropriate for direct shipments. Unfortunately, in the current inflation environment, its not any cheaper!

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57

The cork weevil thing has got to be a legend. Think of all the uncapped wines in French winery caves alone, laying in bulk until they get cleaned off, labeled, capped and shipped out. When I first opened some old Loire wines I would find black mold on the top of the cork. Oh no! Must be a leaker. Then I realized it was residue from the wineā€™s years in the damp cellar, cleaned off pretty well but not fully and then sent out to the world. Thatā€™s the reality (same with crown caps that many sparkling wines age on in triage for years before disgorgement - they last).

Capsules even have one or more little holes in them on the top for air to escape when they go on the bottle. Thereā€™s nothing preventing bugs from crawling in there. This is a seat belt that doesnā€™t buckle. Itā€™s not protective in a real way. And Iā€™ve never seen or heard of any issue in my 30 years of wine life, 17+ in the industry.

I vintage stamp with a circle the ends of my corks and theyā€™re pretty identifiable in the cellar, moreso anyway then the generic red and gold caps I used to use for my wines. Embrace a world without capsules. Consider it a dividend for all you anti-waxers. pileon hitsfan [berserker.gif]

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58

Setting aside the practical annoyance, are wax capsules more environmentally sustainable/friendly than tin?

59

We got rid of capsules two years ago after hanging on for a bit. Took a look at our sustainability initiative and we were likeā€¦ ā€˜WTF?ā€™ whatā€™s the point? Glad to see consumer opinion is following the trend.

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60

We live in a world where those of us with relatively more resources purchase what we want to eat and drink from around the world. That takes a lot of human energy and fuel and packaging. I am part of that problem. As a consumer I am increasingly focused on product packaging and making purchasing decisions to avoid unnecessary and wasteful packaging. I buy wine primarily from California and Oregon, where there are many wineries that have moved to lighter bottles and donā€™t use unnecessary foil or wax. I notice each time that I strip off the useless foil and each time that I pick up a surprisingly heavy bottle. Some people may mistakenly see those as signs of quality but for me they are tremendously wasteful. These considerations will increasingly affect my wine purchasing decisions as well.

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