Replacement wax for restoring the seal on old bottles

Al B. · Post by **Al B.** » Mon Apr 03, 2006 11:43 am

A while back I recall reading a thread on buying small(ish) quantities of kitchen wax for repairing the seal on old port bottles.

I've searched through the forum, but I can't find this thread. Can anyone point me in the right direction?

Thanks

Alex

Post by **Roy Hersh** » Mon Apr 03, 2006 7:28 pm

You want "sealing wax" not just normal parafin. You can find it at Hallmark card shops, or specialty paper stores.

Derek T. · Post by **Derek T.** » Tue Apr 04, 2006 1:39 am

Does this help preserve the quality of the wine or does it just allow you to lay the bottle back down for a while before you drink it? What I mean is, if you use wax to re-seal a leaker and then lay it down, will the wine stop deteriorating as fast as it would if you simply stood the bottle up to stop any more liquid seaping out and air going in?

Derek

Post by **Roy Hersh** » Tue Apr 04, 2006 2:08 am

YES. Given the proper wax seal, any further leakage and deterioration would be stopped, excepting for any oxygen that would then be trapped inside. For a young Port say ... the leaky '97 Niepoort it wouldn't be as much of an issue as say that 1963 Fonseca you are dying to open up for me one day soon.

Derek T. · Post by **Derek T.** » Tue Apr 04, 2006 3:58 am

What about re-corking? I remember being told on a tour in VNG that it takes 10 years for VP to "recover" from being re-corked

Is this true? Would you recommend re-corking over re-sealing?

Derek

PS: Sorry Roy, don't have any Fonseca 63 - will Graham's or Noval Nacional do?

Al B. · Post by **Al B.** » Tue Apr 04, 2006 12:47 pm

Actually, its a leaky Taylor '63 that has prompted the question - but I won't quibble if you decide to open the Nacional instead of my leaky Taylors 8)

I'll try Hallmark or somewhere similar (Hobbycrafts) and see if I can find some seaing wax. Thanks for the tip.

Alex

Post by **Andy Velebil** » Wed Apr 19, 2006 11:40 am

Alex,

Just curious if you were able to find the wax and seal it up, and if so, did it work?

Al B. · Post by **Al B.** » Thu Apr 20, 2006 1:31 pm

I didn't try and seal it up in the end. Next time I go near one of the shops that I think will sell sealing wax, then I will buy some.

But until that time, I will simply open the bottles and drink them - that was the Taylors '63 that I recently wrote a tasting note on.

Alex