How do you protect the capsule/seal of your very old wines?

WINE TALK
1

I’ve got a few old bottles of Bordeaux and Burgundy with corroded/deteriorated/torn capsules and was wondering how other people out there cared for bottles in this condition.

Basically, I used to just wrap cling film around the next of bottles where the capsules showed signs of weakness, either through corrosion or holes. I know some whiskey collectors that do this to prevent any evaporation from their bottles. However, I became (perhaps unnecessarily) concerned about the chemicals in the film coming into contact with the wine (through a closed loop between the headspace/wine/cling film).

Now I wrap a small sheet of grease proof paper tightly around the capsule, cover this in cling film, and wrap a small elastic band tightly around this to seal it just below the lower lip of the finish. I keep the bottles horizontally in a wine cabinet at about 5° C (I always keep wines that I want to evolve very slowly at this temperature).

Does anyone have any thoughts on this, or perhaps you take a different approach?

2

I don’t do anything, now I have guilt!

3

For illustration purposes:
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4

I don’t do anything, as I don’t think it’s necessary unless you’re hoping to eventually sell them and want to maintain as much integrity as possible. The corrosion won’t really do anything and any tearing shouldn’t get worse unless the bottles are mishandled.

For bottles that have exhibited a little leakage, I’ve wrapped a baggie around the neck and secured it with a rubber band. That was meant to keep the leaking from making a mess and trying to control more oxygen getting into the bottle before I opened it, usually within a couple of weeks.

5

Hi John,

Guess I’m just trying to make sure that I can keep them indefinitely. Not planning to drink any of my oldest wines any time soon, and will want to keep some for decades. While I’m not worried about this kind of capsule deterioration in the short term (unless I see evidence of a leak, in which case I do what you do - stand it upright, cover it up, and drink within a month), I’m concerned that the lack of a tight seal combined with cork weakness due to age may result increased evolution and oxidation over the long haul.

6

Uh, I don’t really care, as it is cosmetic (unless leaking, as you say, but that is another, more important matter). I drink the wine inside the bottle, not the bottle!

7

Never really worried about capsules. They’re just decoration to me and often get torn off on older bottles when opening so I can see if the cork is breaking up as it’s being pulled.

Isn’t 41˚ a little low? I get the whole ‘arresting the aging’ thing for wines that you find at their peak, but could you be damaging them below 48˚?

8

I’m sure 48* is no more random than the perfect 55*, but out of curiosity where did you come up with the number 48*?

9

capsules, I have read, were to keep rodents from eating the cork. Who cares what condition they are in unless wine is to be resold? Have never given the capsules a moment of thought. Capsules don’t preserve the wine–unless you are under rodent attack.

10

I’m not sure I understand the concern about leaching from cling wrap into the wine Many old capsules are made of lead, which is much scarier than cling wrap.

11

Dude?

12

I agree that the purpose for capsules is purely to keep the corks untouched by external forces (be it fauna or fauna); it’s more the reason as to why the capsule is damaged in the first places that I’m worried about. Where an old wine (say 50+ yrs) is compromised by a weakening cork, this will eventually leave signs in the capsule; l suspect (but am not sure) that a compromised capsule will further exacerbate oxygen exposure (hence the previously common practice of re-waxing). As such, I always cover up the capsule with a tight seal whenever I see signs of cork weakness in the state of the capsule.

With regards to temperature, there is, as far as I know, no evidence for low temperatures having a deleterious effect on wine (other than below freezing of course, which can push out/destabilise the cork). Below 5°C or thereabouts, the wine enters a near-hibernation state where the development will be very slow. I’ve had a lot of wines from natural Scandinavian cellars where winter temperatures are a steady 0-4°C and they have been in fantastic condition. In fact I recently had a Talbot '85 from a Norwegian earth-cellar that seemed 8 years old (in contrast with a UK cellared example wa few months ago that was much more evolved but no worse for wear). I think the 8°C example is just used as a benchmark for a temperature that will lead to slow yet perceptible development.

13

Basically, if the cork is weakened by age it may lead to increased evaporation through the seal over time (decades rather than years). However, if there is a complete seal in place, surely this will not be the case?

The reason I mention the capsule at all is really only because this is what gives the first sign of cork weakness; or at least that’s where I ma able to detect it, be it in bottles I have had from birth or bought at auction down the line.

14

I wish I remember the source. [scratch.gif] It was an article talking more about white wine than red, but mentioned that 48˚ for white and 53˚ for red would severely slow the wines development, and lower than that could be detrimental to it’s evolution.

15

5 Celsius = 41 Fahrenheit.
It’s a low temp. and will certainly delay many degradation processes.

But it can be a hazard to cool these oldies.
Before You got them, they probably were stored at more normal storage temps.
The thermal contraction coefficient of watery liquids, is powerful.

In other words, the underpressure in the bottle, when cooled a lot, will : 1) Remain, 2) Pull the cork inwards. Or 3) Suck in air, to equalize pressure.

ad 1) - All is fine, but the reverse process can still happen, when removed from the 5C, for other storage, or consumption at “hotter” temperatures. (The cork protrudes, or sepage occurs.)

ad 2) - Can easily happen with very old soaked/soft corks. (A main reason for re-corking bottles.)

ad 3) - Lethal, with new air in old bottles. - Post-mature-oxidation… Bad situation.

The effect from 16C cooled to 4C (My fridge), can be seen with a soft plastic water bottle. Fill at 16C, screw cap tight, and fridge for 2 hours. Then unscrew cap, and listen for pressure to equalize. If a big bottle, it will dent inwards, when cooled down. I like to cool tap water in bottles, for drinking in the summer times, so I see this a lot.

A capsule is not a seal for the liquid, it’s a seal of originality, not to tamper with. - The seal for the liquid, is solely the cork.
I never touch the oldest caps. No papers, plastics, strings… -No external forces will make them any better.
Only if transported, I can understand the worries. And it’s still possible to do, in a mildly modified wine wooden box, without touching the fragile capsules/labels.

-And if covered in paper/plastic, it’s hard to judge the eventual sepage, and then drink the bottles fast.

Maybe I’m to worried also, -but that’s My contribution to the conversation.

Kind regards, Soren.

16

In the case you’ve noted here, and if you’re not planning on selling them, an alternative would be to dip the neck of the bottle in wax. You could do that with the old capsule in place but it would probably be better to remove the capsule first. Waxing the opening of the bottle would certainly back up a potentially weakening cork. I believe there are a couple of home kits for doing the waxing. Just a thought.

17

Curious does wax prevent seepage? Oxidation? As basically no air can get in?

18

Indeed, the wax would seem a good solution. I haven’t tried it as I’m wary of cutting capsules on old fragile bottles; probably won’t do any harm but I like cutting them as I open the bottles, hence why I cover them up with film rather than using wax. I imagine that a very tight plastic seal (with uncoated paper on the inside), as achieved by wrapping an elastic band tightly around the neck underneath the lower lip (over the foil) of the finish might achieve the same thing though, no?

I do have a few older bottles that have clearly been re-waxed by their previous owners though, and the look very good for their age, with very good levels. Definitely not fakes (complete provenance record) so a testament to the fact that this works well. Perhaps I’ll try it with a few bottles…

19

my understanding is no, no, and no. For example, Raveneau wax capsules get broken when cork rises due to heat, can seep (Leroy prime example), ullage increases over time, and occasionally premoxes.

20

DIY waxing very old original bottles, is not for Me. (Or any future buyers/collectors.)
If You only want to preserve the liquids, for future generations, then cryogenic techniques is the real thing. (Remember to save the empties, for refills with the melted cryo-wines later.)

Wax seals are very brittle. So many genuine old bottles around, with the corks fully exposed, after the wax had a small knock. -Even the reconditioned DRC big formats from Koch-auction were cracked and half missing.
A perfect fresh wax seal can show some airtightness for a while, but sepage (from heat) can occur. Eventually with time, wine/air will seep in the bordering wax and glass, and the function is gone.

-Soren.