Why I (really, really) don't like wax capsules

[John_Glas]

Why are you chipping at the wax? Just stick the corkscrew in and open like you would a normal bottle.

Still wax gets in the bottle. Tried it on several occasions.

[John_Glas]

Mess, mess, and mess.

WHat is the point?

Drilling through hard wax with a silicon-coated corkscew not good either.

AR

There is no point except maybe a winery thinks it looks cool and will sell more wine.

[larry_schaffer]

I assumed that there was a storage/anti-premox advantage as Dale pointed out. Part of this assumption is due to some wineries using wax on their high-end wines but not on their entry level wines.

Cheers,

Hal

#marketing

[JViolini]

Upside - It looks cool
Downside - It can make a mess

Basically…pointless

[Eric_LeVine]

If you are chipping or cutting, you are doing it wrong.
Stick the corkscrew into the center of the top, give it a slight pull, the center of the wax top should break. You can then continue to pull it out or if it’s an older bottle, you can insert an ahso at this point.

OK. Not so great for a Coravin though…

[Michael_Martin]

If you are chipping or cutting, you are doing it wrong.
Stick the corkscrew into the center of the top, give it a slight pull, the center of the wax top should break. You can then continue to pull it out or if it’s an older bottle, you can insert an ahso at this point.

OK. Not so great for a Coravin though…

Or if it’s a waxed screw top.

[Michael_Martin]

There are a lot little things a winery will do to make a bottle appear higher end and possibly add to the romance of ownership: tissue wrapped bottles, wood cases, heavy bottles, foil or embossed labels, temperature sensors, odd shaped bottles, embossed glass and long corks to name a few. Some of these create a certain hassle as well, waste too and no one seems to complain. Wax is just another way to differentiate a bottling.

[Jonathan_Loesberg]

If there is an easy way to use a Durand with a wax capsule, I’d like to hear it. I routinely use a Durand on any bottle 20 years or older (percentage of older corks that break is quite high) and on any other bottle on which the cork looks questionable. And, as Alex says, you can’t just crack older, crusty wax with a quick puncture of the worm. I am with the anti-waxxers.

[Adam_Frisch]

I have white labels with black text. My blue (and very pliable wax, I should add) is a graphic accent. It’s the only color I have and it was carefully designed that way by a designer. Design matters.

[larry_schaffer]

If you are chipping or cutting, you are doing it wrong.
Stick the corkscrew into the center of the top, give it a slight pull, the center of the wax top should break. You can then continue to pull it out or if it’s an older bottle, you can insert an ahso at this point.

OK. Not so great for a Coravin though…

Or if it’s a waxed screw top.

Dont temp me . . .

Cheers!

[M_Meer]

I am with the anti-waxxers.

[Rick_Bollig]

I have white labels with black text. My blue (and very pliable wax, I should add) is a graphic accent. It’s the only color I have and it was carefully designed that way by a designer. Design matters.

Your wines don’t stick around long enough for the wax to harden, at least not in my house!

[DougS]

But, hell, other than standing out for marketing purposes, I see no justification.

If tradition is the answer, I’d say that there are good and bad traditions, and that this is one of the latter.

So, same category as cork.

[Lee_Short]

Why are you chipping at the wax? Just stick the corkscrew in and open like you would a normal bottle.

Still wax gets in the bottle. Tried it on several occasions.

Pull the cork out 80% of the way, remove the corkscrew, clean off the wax bits, then finish pulling the cork with your fingers.

Never failed me, but might be problematic if the cork is soft. But I haven’t seen that happen, even on older bottles. Don’t know if the wax helps protect the cork.

[William_Segui]

This is all for the look and the perceived value. I do kind of like really big bottles!

Large format bottles often have larger neck/openings. Which require different sized capsules. Have you seen the minimum order for capsules lately (7,000 - 10,000)? Wax is often the only way to get a finished look on a non-traditional package.

[Richard_Albert]

For the hard messy, crumbly wax, I put a single layer of a towel over the bottle and gently rap it with a tablespoon, straight down and from the side on the edges of the bottle top. Remove the towel, then put the screw in through the middle of the cork and pull up partially–there is less wax on the bottle to deal with. You can rap on the wax still clinging to the bottle before you pull the cork all the way out.

[Philip_N_Jones]

Perhaps I missed something in this thread, but I simply use a sharp knife to slice off the wax even with the top of the glass. Then I use a corkscrew. Works well and looks good the few times I have done it.

[PaulMills]

I have bought beers with wax over the cap. Why?!?

[Arv_R]

What you don’t like my classy cadre?!

Belle Glos Pinot Noir Dairyman Review

[RickieM]

I just had a bottle with a wax capsule a few days ago and what a pain. I put the corkscrew through the wax and pulled the cork out easily, but the wax broke into little pieces and fell all over the counter. Then little chips were around the opening so I had to carefully clean those away so that nothing would fall into the bottle. Some wax is more pliable than others, and this one wasn’t pliable at all. Producer was Bachelet-Monnot. Wax is nothing but a pain to deal with and doesn’t impress me in the least.