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

[Larry_Link]

I built a small tool that is like a little drill head that spins in a circle (diameter adjustable) inside a flowbee like vacuum rig. I pop it over the wax bottle head, depress the trigger, and it grinds off the wax in a few seconds. The vacuum sucks up all the bits. No muss, no fuss, naked glass when done. I have another neat little device that is like a Durand head on an electric screwdriver to open bottles. Now that I wrapped some machine learning around the pressure sensor and opened a few hundred test bottles, it opens any bottle more or less instantly and always perfectly, no matter the cork. I have another nifty little gadget that drinks the wine for me and auto generates CT reviews.

The good thing about wax capsules is that they inspire us to greater creativity and inventiveness.

I’d love to see a picture or video of your contraption in use. Please post!

[JIMCOH]

No one using a Dremmel tool with a low speed cutting disc? Sounds pretty easy to me.

[lleichtman]

Michael,

What I’m asking is why make things more complicated than they need to be?

AR

Totally agree. We buy a lot of Mo Ayoub wines and almost all of them have these wax capsules. When I asked him, he told me it looked classier. I told him he should look at my table after trying to get this capsule off. Can’t just go into it as it is too thick.

[RichardFlack]

Would a Sabre work or does it need the pressure from bubbles?

[John_Glas]

but… without a capsule or wax… what will protect the vulnerable cork from contamination?? Kelley Fox learned this the hard way from the internetz.

Screw caps would work fine!

[John_Glas]

Would a Sabre work or does it need the pressure from bubbles?

Let us know how that works out! Make sure to get on video.

[William_Kelley]

Would a Sabre work or does it need the pressure from bubbles?

I guess I shouldn’t bring it up here, lest it be perceived as trolling, but 150 or so years ago, Champagne bottles were sometimes waxed

[Tom_G_l_a_s_g_o_w]

Would a Sabre work or does it need the pressure from bubbles?

I guess I shouldn’t bring it up here, lest it be perceived as trolling, but 150 or so years ago, Champagne bottles were sometimes waxed

So there’s hope?

[B_Stewart]

Maybe the producers that have avoided premox all these years have been paying extra to have their corks treated with pixie dust?

If you pick the right wax, it does seem that it enhances the seal.

“There is English wax. French wax. Domestic wax…”

- YouTube

[S_Stevenson]

How to remove wax from a Dunn Vineyards wine bottle

[Eric_LeVine]

https://youtu.be/ydvf8yq2NOU

Someone brought a 1990 Dunn Howell Mountain to my house for a tasting back in 2004: Seattle Tasting Group does 1990 & older Bordeaux - CellarTracker

I swear, it has been 17 years, and I am still finding wax shards. It was the most brittle, impenetrable, SOB substance I have ever encountered. And the cork was dry and broke in half. The wine was great though!

1990 Dunn Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain - USA, California, Napa Valley, Howell Mountain (3/12/2004)
Seattle Tasting Group does 1990 & older Bordeaux (Seattle, WA, USA): Jason snuck this in as a ringer, and it did fantastically well. The nose shows tons of primary pleasure with mint and cassis. On the palate this shows just awesome, crushing tannins, long and silky, very powerful. Despite the mouthful of structure this is sweet, pure and lush, and very pleasurable. I know that people are very critical whether these wines ever come around, so I was stunned at how delicious and approachable this was. (95 pts.)

Posted from CellarTracker

[AD_Northup]

https://youtu.be/ydvf8yq2NOU

Someone brought a 1990 Dunn Howell Mountain to my house for a tasting back in 2004: Seattle Tasting Group does 1990 & older Bordeaux - CellarTracker

I swear, it has been 17 years, and I am still finding wax shards. It was the most brittle, impenetrable, SOB substance I have ever encountered. And the cork was dry and broke in half. The wine was great though!

1990 Dunn Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain - USA, California, Napa Valley, Howell Mountain (3/12/2004)
Seattle Tasting Group does 1990 & older Bordeaux (Seattle, WA, USA): Jason snuck this in as a ringer, and it did fantastically well. The nose shows tons of primary pleasure with mint and cassis. On the palate this shows just awesome, crushing tannins, long and silky, very powerful. Despite the mouthful of structure this is sweet, pure and lush, and very pleasurable. I know that people are very critical whether these wines ever come around, so I was stunned at how delicious and approachable this was. (95 pts.)

Posted from CellarTracker

Interesting this is popping up now, in the most recent Dunn release email, they had this: “As is the case for most everyone, the past year and a half led to some soul searching on both a personal and professional basis. In an effort to streamline our processes and mitigate chipped wax, we will be waxing only the Howell Mountain magnums going forward – all 750’s have been sealed with a foil capsule. While we recognize that some of you may miss the character of the wax, we are confident that many more of you will be pleased with the new packaging.”

[michaelfm]

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

These are the true demons. You can’t even slightly pull the cork to help.

[John_Glas]

https://youtu.be/ydvf8yq2NOU

Someone brought a 1990 Dunn Howell Mountain to my house for a tasting back in 2004: Seattle Tasting Group does 1990 & older Bordeaux - CellarTracker

I swear, it has been 17 years, and I am still finding wax shards. It was the most brittle, impenetrable, SOB substance I have ever encountered. And the cork was dry and broke in half. The wine was great though!

1990 Dunn Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain - USA, California, Napa Valley, Howell Mountain (3/12/2004)
Seattle Tasting Group does 1990 & older Bordeaux (Seattle, WA, USA): Jason snuck this in as a ringer, and it did fantastically well. The nose shows tons of primary pleasure with mint and cassis. On the palate this shows just awesome, crushing tannins, long and silky, very powerful. Despite the mouthful of structure this is sweet, pure and lush, and very pleasurable. I know that people are very critical whether these wines ever come around, so I was stunned at how delicious and approachable this was. (95 pts.)

Posted from CellarTracker

Would have been great without the wax!

[DougS]

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

These are the true demons. You can’t even slightly pull the cork to help.

I’ve opened quite a few. Pulling the cap off as usual, ignoring the wax, has always been easy.

[William_Kelley]

I wish Roulot would try sealing with wax capsules.

He is!

[Larry_Link]

I wish Roulot would try sealing with wax capsules.

He is!

Starting when?

[michaelfm]

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

These are the true demons. You can’t even slightly pull the cork to help.

I’ve opened quite a few. Pulling the cap off as usual, ignoring the wax, has always been easy.

Really? I find I can’t get any purchase on the crown without chipping at the wax, atleast when it’s thick. Thin wax, absolutely no big deal.

[Scott_AB]

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!

I don’t remember if the wax hardened or not but here was my attempt at pulling the cork straight through the wax on a Sabelli-Frisch Flame Tokay.

[Rodrigo_B]

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!

I don’t remember if the wax hardened or not but here was my attempt at pulling the cork straight through the wax on a Sabelli-Frisch Flame Tokay.

IMG_20200512_181539.jpg

That is the one downside of Adam’s wax. It’s so pliable that pulling the cork through it can sometimes be a challenge.

The best solution I’ve found is to completely remove it. Adam’s capsules are soft enough where I can just cut vertically and completely remove them. So far, it has worked as almost a foil capsule. Comes clean off with no mess. Time will tell how that will behave over time though. If one is to do a wax capsule for aesthetics reasons, something like Adam’s version would seem preferable.