capsules: why?

[Robert_Pollard-Smith]

@Gene M.

In some cases it is easier to ID the bottle if the capsule is distinctive when stuck in a rack/cellar.

Even with a full, fairly accurate CT inventory, I find that ID via capsule color/markings is extremely helpful in assaying contents of cartons and racks.

[DougS]

@Robert Pollard-Smith

@Gene M.

In some cases it is easier to ID the bottle if the capsule is distinctive when stuck in a rack/cellar.

Even with a full, fairly accurate CT inventory, I find that ID via capsule color/markings is extremely helpful in assaying contents of cartons and racks.

I don’t understand. My Copain bottles are just as easy for me to pick out without lifting as any capsuled bottle. Admittedly, there are few bottles without capsules in my collection, but the branding on their capsules is always clearly visible at close range. Do you mean you can see what’s in there more easily without going close to the rack?

[larry_schaffer]

I know this thread is someone old but figured I would resurrect it and see what the ‘general thought process’ is these days on capsules vs. was vs. nothing at all. Would it matter if the cork used was not branded but ‘blank’ instead?

Curious to get as much feedback as I can

[larry_schaffer]

I know this thread is someone old but figured I would resurrect it and see what the ‘general thought process’ is these days on capsules vs. was vs. nothing at all. Would it matter if the cork used was not branded but ‘blank’ instead?

Curious to get as much feedback as I can

[Robert_McCall]

I’m all about no foil/capsule on the reds as you can see in my avatar. Screwcap for the white. It’s really just personal choice more than anything. My corks are branded and for the next bottling of reds we will have a branding on the ends as well which I think is gonna look really cool. I chose that over a wax cap. It will also help identify the bottle when it’s laid down in a cellar…

[Linda_Baehr]

I know most winemakers and wine geeks are OK or even encourage no capsules. but I really am not sure the general public is OK with it- not without a possible educational campaign or something.

[CFu]

@Doug Schulman

@Robert Pollard-Smith

@Gene M.

In some cases it is easier to ID the bottle if the capsule is distinctive when stuck in a rack/cellar.

Even with a full, fairly accurate CT inventory, I find that ID via capsule color/markings is extremely helpful in assaying contents of cartons and racks.

I don’t understand. My Copain bottles are just as easy for me to pick out without lifting as any capsuled bottle. Admittedly, there are few bottles without capsules in my collection, but the branding on their capsules is always clearly visible at close range. Do you mean you can see what’s in there more easily without going close to the rack?

I don’t have to pull bottles out of the rack to know what the wine is when I can see the capsule. If all your wines had no capsules, you couldn’t do that.

[Linda_Baehr]

@Charlie Fu

I don’t have to pull bottles out of the rack to know what the wine is when I can see the capsule. If all your wines had no capsules, you couldn’t do that.

Many wineries have branding on the ends of their capsules. They could make them just as recognizable as a capsule.

[JKim]

@Linda Baehr

I know most winemakers and wine geeks are OK or even encourage no capsules. but I really am not sure the general public is OK with it- not without a possible educational campaign or something.

I agree with you Linda. Double for screw caps.

[Wes_Barton]

@larry schaffer

Would it matter if the cork used was not branded but ‘blank’ instead?

Depends on price point, ageability and overall look of the bottle. A clean look can be good. Some brands are a bit too busy and don’t really look that good. A distinctive brand is best for wines that’ll go in the cellar.

[DougS]

@Charlie Fu

I don’t have to pull bottles out of the rack to know what the wine is when I can see the capsule. If all your wines had no capsules, you couldn’t do that.

Oops, I meant to say the branding on the CORKS is always clearly visible. Does that help? Branded corks are just as easy for me to spot as capsules, so I don’t see the benefit of the latter in that case.

[DougS]

@larry schaffer

Would it matter if the cork used was not branded but ‘blank’ instead?

I far prefer the cork to be branded for ease of identification. If it isn’t, I’d rather have a capsule.

[Ed_Murray]

@Robert Pollard-Smith

@Gene M.

In some cases it is easier to ID the bottle if the capsule is distinctive when stuck in a rack/cellar.

Even with a full, fairly accurate CT inventory, I find that ID via capsule color/markings is extremely helpful in assaying contents of cartons and racks.

^
This

[Kirk.Grant]

@Doug Schulman

@Z Scheiner

As a consumer, I prefer wines without capsules.

Me, too, but anyone who posts here regularly is far from the average consumer, so it’s interesting to get a feel for the thought processes behind their use at the production end.

Thanks for the responses so far. I’ll be interested to see what else people think about my question.

I’m in that group too. Capsules are a waste of time, energy, and money to me.

[Hans_Hauser]

Good capsules can also protect from the cork moth (“Nemapogon cloacellus”).
It is no fun, when it chews off from the corks and some insects are flying through your cellar.

[Andrew_Nielsen1]

@Hans Hauser

Good capsules can also protect from the cork moth (“Nemapogon cloacellus”).
It is no fun, when it chews off from the corks and some insects are flying through your cellar.

Noone in France stores their stock with capsules though because of the tax discs.

[Beau_Carufel]

I went with the no-capsule look because I like it. There’s a certain elegance, in an austere fashion, to not having a capsule on the bottle. Many of my favorite producers go sans capsule too.