Wine Drinkers: Wine stoppers.

[Clarence Martin]

Ok, what's the deal with making Wine bottle stoppers ? 1. Are they standard size ? that is to say, is the opening on the bottle the same as any other wine bottle ?

2. The stainless steel or chrome tip on the wine bottle stopper: Will that affect the flavor of the Wine ?

[Rich Aldrich]

Wine bottles have a standard size opening. There are variations in the amount of metal stopper showing above the o-rings or seal. I prefer the Ruth Niles type 301 where there is little metal above the o-ring.

I prefer stainless steel. I don't think either effects the wine flavor. However, I know the stainless steel is not going to have a coating failure, but the chrome could fail, although I haven't heard of anyone having this problem.

[Peter Fabricius]

It is interesting to see how this has developed over the years... I still hear of people wanting to use our wine stoppers to put on wine bottles that they put in the refrigerator laying down and then complain that the stoppers leak.
wood stoppers, specifically should only be used in bottles standing up on the counter and therefore are probably just for Red Wine.
Wood in refrigerators is not a good idea and bottles laying down with these types of stoppers is definitely not a good idea.
Peter F.

[David Heathcote]

The real reason for storing wine laying down is to keep the cork stopper in liquid contact so it won't dry out, shrink, then lose its ability to keep a seal. Once the original cork has been removed, this issue becomes moot.

The kind of stoppers woodturners buy to dress up with turned elements don't "dry out" and they don't need to be kept in liquid contact, so storing upright is just fine. Preferable in fact.

Wine need not (should not, in fact) be stored in a refrigerator either. Cool is necessary, but reefer temps are too low for storage. Chilling white wine before serving is usual, but most reds are not normally chilled at all.

(Cork is expensive compared to modern alternatives and the like, so a lot of wine now is bottled with a screw caps, which have good re-sealing capabilites and render both special stoppers and horizontal storage unnecessary. They're not as pretty of course, and many wine enthusiasts think anything but cork is the handiwork of the devil.)

Like the Hell's Angels say, "Chrome won't get you home."
Use stainless.

[Doug W Swanson]

The real reason for storing wine laying down is to keep the cork stopper in liquid contact so it won't dry out, shrink, then lose its ability to keep a seal. Once the original cork has been removed, this issue becomes moot.

The kind of stoppers woodturners buy to dress up with turned elements don't "dry out" and they don't need to be kept in liquid contact, so storing upright is just fine. Preferable in fact.

I think the problem isn't that people are storing long term with these types of stoppers. It's more of the fact that when you add wine stoppers to a wine bottle, the bottle will not fit standing up in most fridges. Hence the need to place them horizontally and that's where the leaking can happen.
My mother in law likes her white wine chilled more than most people so she keeps it in the fridge. In fact, sometimes she'll even put an ice cube in the wine....

[David Heathcote]

It's more of the fact that when you add wine stoppers to a wine bottle, the bottle will not fit standing up in most fridges. Hence the need to place them horizontally and that's where the leaking can happen.

Aha, not being much of a drinker, and having rather a large refrigerator, I didn't think of that.
Maybe the wine stopper turners should offer a simple tool to saw a hole in the shelf above. Seems like that would solve the problem, eh?

[Thom Sturgill]

When sommeliers (or wine stewards) talk of 'chilled wine' they mean 52 degrees - the temperature of a wine cellar and is how white wine should be served. Refrigerators are typically 40 degrees which is too cold. Red wine is properly brought to room temperature and decanted to remove anything settled and to aerate the wine. Sparkling wines and 'ice wines', which are wines where the grapes are harvested after being frozen on the vine, are often served on ice.

IMHO, the stoppers made by turners are for display at parties when the wine is set out for consumption. In my house, wine once opened, if not drunk the first night, is generally used for cooking. (My son is a trained chef)

[Doug W Swanson]

Like the Hell's Angels say, "Chrome won't get you home."

That's a new one for me. I always thought it was 'Chrome won't it go faster.'

Aha, not being much of a drinker, and having rather a large refrigerator, I didn't think of that.
Maybe the wine stopper turners should offer a simple tool to saw a hole in the shelf above. Seems like that would solve the problem, eh?

Love it!

In my house, wine once opened, if not drunk the first night, is generally used for cooking. (My son is a trained chef)

We don't drink wine (I'm a beer drinker and my wife likes cocktails) so when we entertain and there is wine left over, we will bring it over to our neighbors for them to enjoy. They love it when we have parties!

[Rich Aldrich]

I am not a wine drinker either, so this is good information. Wine bottle stoppers also fit oil and vinegar cruets as well as bath oil bottles.

My refrigerator would have to have the shelves rearranged so the bottle would fit with any length stopper. I like Davids solution of cutting the hole in the shelf. You will always know where the wine is.... if there is any left.

[Lee Koepke]

couple of observations I have had.
Ruth Niles has a new stainless steel one that "stands on its own" - it has a flat spot that allows it to stand on the counter without a display. Which solves, what I feel, has been the biggest complaint (if you will) from people that have reported back to me.

They buy (or receive) these beautiful stoppers and they end up in a drawer somewhere. I try my best to make little stands to sell with my stoppers - at least I know theres a chance they will get to see it more than once in awhile.

[Scott Hackler]

I used to buy the cheap chrome ones but found out that the acids in wine can eat through the chrome and 1) doesn't look good and 2) can drop pieces of yuck in the wine. I switched over to Ruth Niles' stainless stoppers. They are a little more expensive but worth it. I saw the new ones with the "foot" and I will buy those once I use up the package I have now. Supporting a small business with a USA made product.

[Marty Tippin]

I've been using the Ruth Niles 301 stainless stoppers for a while and have found that leaving one in a bottle of red wine for several days (or a week or more) results in some "rust" like accumulation on the stainless steel of the stopper -- it's not actually rust as far as I can tell, but it's orange and looks like oxidation to me. It comes off with a scotchbrite pad and no lasting marks are to be found.

And yes, I know that leaving a bottle on the counter for a week is a bad idea - the only thing to do with it at that point is pour it down the drain, as it's long since turned - but at least wanted to pass this along. Maybe someone knows what's going on.

[Sid Matheny]

Who has wine left over? Just empty bottles around here. LOL



Sid

[Rick Gibson]

To get around the problem of the bottle not standing in the fridge I made some stoppers like this using the silicon stoppers. The top of the bottle goes up inside the stopper so it will fit in most fridge doors. Around here they generally only get used to keep the fruit flies out between glasses though.

stopper.jpg

[Marvin Hasenak]

After I showed customers some of the silicone stoppers, the metal ones almost became obsolete. I make about 10 to 1 of the silicone stoppers to the stainless steel. They are a lot more functional as a stopper, they actually seal the bottle. They also prefer a functional design, one that is easy on the hand to push in and pull out of the bottles. Plain and simple with a good grip.