Wax dipping post-bottling?

[theodore anderson]

Do port collectors add additional layers of wax coatings to the capsules of old bottles or long term agers? I've never seen this in a table wine of any age but one of my older bottles looks like a thin layer was applied in a broad band around the base of the capsule at some point after the original wax capsule was dipped (the bottle on the right):
http://imgur.com/a/lnp2u
and again on this Winebid bottle:
http://www.winebid.com/Item/3724049

[Tom Archer]

Theodore,

Bottles are sometimes foiled, sometimes double foiled, sometimes waxed - and sometimes waxed over a foil..

The last option I despair of, and don't see the logic. The bottles usually look messy, and when you open them, the process is usually very messy indeed, with small fragments of wax propelled across the room..

Wax capsules and selos are also poor bedfellows - if you wax over a selo, the result is usually a visual disaster, and if you put the selo over the wax, the selo itself is very easiy damaged.

Of the bottles in your first photo, the Barros has a nasty leak stain - buy cheap for a casual quaff, don't pitch big money. The Taylor looks OK; but in the winebid photo, the bottle looks slightly suspect - I'd pass..

Tom

[Andy Velebil]

I've seen what your describing here in the states. Usually what I've run across is a thin layer of regular canning (parafin) wax over the top of the existing wax seal that is starting to crumble from age. I assume it's to help hold the old wax together so it doesn't crumble further. As far as other Port collectors doing this, no it's not normal to see. At the same time though, it's not something I'd be worried about on it's own.