For The Love Of Port

Since VP's are designed to age for a minimum of 15-20 years, and up to 100+ plus years for the great ones, I've often wondered why they don't seal the bottle tops with wax. In my experience, bottles that have had waxed tops seem to have slightly better fills and at times seem less forward than those with regular lead/foil capsules. I'm assuming the wax helps in sealing out air thus reducing the amount of evaporation over many many years. I know many people dislike waxed tops, generally me included. They are hard to chip off when removing the cork, messy, and the wax melts if you try to use tongs. But I still can't help thinking that it would still be the best way to bottle top notch VP's. I'd love to hear what others think about this.

Personally i dont have a problem with waxed tops. I have a few ancient bottles with waxed tops and i think they look cool, it gives a sort of cachet to a bottle.
Too be honest i never thought about it's purpose. I always thought it was something they used to do back in the early days.I had one bottle with a string attached, when you pulled it the wax would come off.
Maybe its a idea to heat a knife and then slowly cut away the wax ? This way it wont chip.
To fully majure a wine needs a little air too so if you seal off a bottle the air could not reach the wine through the cork.

My are that it was used out of nostalgia. Also it would create a hell of a mess in the bottling factory if wax is melted on the bottles

If we don't use wax anymore its mainly for a concern of cost and simplifying the automation. Funny fact, I've seen magnums of wine in the Douro with wax because it was cheaper to put on than the foil, but only for that specific format of bottle of that wine the producer told me.

My opinion, I hate that hard wax that puts crumbles all over the place. Though, there is that soft wax that you can just peal off so easily and does no mess, that I like a lot. A few producers in France especially are still using it.

An embossed wax capsule looks great if it's done properly, but the problem lies with those pesky guarantee strips..

If the wax is placed over the strip - as Kopke have sometimes attempted to do, the result is a right mess. If the strip is placed over the wax - as Cockburn have sometimes done (amongst others), it is very easy for the strip to get torn away, and it makes it impractical to emboss the wax as the strip obscures it.

Cost considerations make it impractical to wax reserves and LBV's, but it is entirely affordable for VP.

I would like to see VP bottle necks given an inner foil covering, into which is imbedded a coded microchip, and then properly waxed (fully covering the foil) and then embossed. The guarantee strip should be relegated, forming part of the back label.

This would provide better security and a better seal. By placing the foil over the neck first, the problem of wax sticking fast onto the cork could be avoided.

Tom

I think the wax makes a big mess, has to be opened over the kitchen sink. Its everywhere after in a meters radius. I guess its good for preserving the wine, letting no air in or out of the bottle. Why dont they just use softer wax like on the Tokaji bottles, much easier to handle?

I absolutely love the wax-seal. First of all it more or less gurantees an airtight bottle, second it adds a whole lot to the ritual of drinking a port.

I don't drink enough "sealed" port for it to really become a problem, but I don't have any actual problems with getting off the wax - honestly, I find the cork much more troublesome.

I don't understand why more producers of finer wines don't use it. Besides VP and some Tawnies, I've only seen wax on extremely old bordeaux, and some new (and old) burgundies. After all, when a wine is made for long cellaring, why risk it and just cap it all off with a aluminium-foil? And how many people drink that good stuff so often that it becomes a nuisance? If ease of opening was a priority, why cork at all not to speak of those damn wooden crates. Sometimes I'm seconds away from bringing out powertools in order to get those buggers open. And talk about a mess. Sawdust, shavings and splinters in evert nook, cranny and extremety of my body.

However, I see the opening of both the wax-sealed wine and the wooden crate as privileges rather than duties.

I like the wax, as long as it does not go too far down the neck. If the hot tongs touch the wax, the smell is horrible! Keep the wax neat and tidy, and I am with it!

Large format bottles are often waxed as they are hand poured and corked.

I'm not convinced the wax makes a difference in terms of storage, and it makes a big mess.

I too like the wax seals with emboses on the top. Other than very cool looking they do serve a good purpose for knowing what the bottle is when the label falls of after many years in storage. The wax also helps to prevent evaporation when stored over very long periods (or if in a not so humid environment). I think Moses has the best reco...if they can keep the wax short and clean so it doesn't get in the way of using tongs, then I am all for them doing it.

the downside is its expensive and time consuming to do.

Andy Velebil wrote: the downside is its expensive and time consuming to do.

So is foot treading - but we wouldn't want to see anyone do away with that either

Actually, I believe wax is gas permeable, so if the cork fails, the wine will still oxidize.

Eric Ifune wrote:Actually, I believe wax is gas permeable, so if the cork fails, the wine will still oxidize.

I;ve heard that also. But I've also heard that the wax helps to prevent some evaporation of the wine over time. Especially if its stored in a not so humid environment.

Maybe some of our resident chemical experts can chime in and help out with some scientific answers (Jay and others???)

Eric Ifune wrote:Actually, I believe wax is gas permeable, so if the cork fails, the wine will still oxidize.

I've read the opposite several places - that the wax seal is in fact air-tight.

Actually, I believe wax is gas permeable, so if the cork fails, the wine will still oxidize

A lot of substances are gas permeable, but only to a very small degree.

Quite a lot of foil capsules are gas permeable for the simple reason that they are often made with small holes in them - have a look at a bottle of Niepoort.

I don't think it is necessary to have a perfect seal, just the means to limit exposure.

Tom