Wax or shrinkwrap?

[Warthaug]

I am a few weeks away from bottling a red that'll age at least a year before we open any (with the goal of aging the bulk to at least 2 years).

I was wondering how critical it is to hae the cork breath on longer agings. The reason I ask is that we've been topping our fast-aging wines with wax instead of the shrink wrap Toppers. It looks cooler (we've made up a signat to press in a seal), is cheaper & we prefer the look, but obviously stops the cork from breathing.

Thanx

Bryan

 

[Daze]

I don't like shrink wrap because it also reduces air flow but does not create a perfect seal so what you end up with is the perfect breeding ground on the end for mold. at least with the wax it is a good seal and the mold can not grow on the end of the cork.

 

[DoctorCAD]

I don't like shrink wrap because it also reduces air flow but does not create a perfect seal so what you end up with is the perfect breeding ground on the end for mold. at least with the wax it is a good seal and the mold can grow on the end of the cork.

If that was true then 90% of all wines made in the world would have that problem, as probably that many have shrink wrap caps. Rarely do you find a bottle with wax, and then most of them are purely decorative.

 

[Daze]

If that was true

Are you kidding me "if that was true"?!?!?!? I am not making this up, AND I am not talking about wines coming shrink wrapped from a commercial winery where things are applied differently. I am talking about the home brewer and my experience that covering with something other than wax can (doesn't always but can) allow mold to grow on end of the cork. between it and the cover.

And for your information the reason shrink rap is the more common than wax has nothing to do with wax only being decretive. it is $$$ plain and simple the shrink rap is cheeper and easier store and ship with out damage.

 

[Dicky]

Ok, so before this gets any more heated...

I would say do what you think is best. I like your stamp idea, how did you make it?

Dicky

 

[DoctorCAD]

I agree on the cost thing, but not on the "mold" thing.

Whats the difference if Mondavi shrink wraps 100,000 bottles and I shrink wrap 100?

He doesn't get mold and neither do I (and visiting wine making forums for 4 years, I have never heard of a molded cork under a shrink wrap).

 

[Honda88]

mold likes warm and humid environments, just keep it cold and relatively dry and you should be fine.

 

[Daze]

I agree on the cost thing, but not on the "mold" thing.

Whats the difference if Mondavi shrink wraps 100,000 bottles and I shrink wrap 100?

He doesn't get mold and neither do I (and visiting wine making forums for 4 years, I have never heard of a molded cork under a shrink wrap).

just because you are unaware of it doesn't make it untrue. I admit what I said makes it sounds like shrinkwrap will result in mold, but that is not what I intended that part of it is my bad. What I was saying is shrinkwrap can allow mold growth but wax will not.

 

[rawlus]

mold is likely to have more to do with storage conditions and cork quality than the type of capsule applied. most of the capsules these days are vented in some way.

re: wax. do what you like, there are no rules here. i dont wax because i think it's a pain to remove when reusing bottles and it takes more time/effort to apply in the first place.

what is more important is quality corks for long-term storers.

 

[huesmann]

Store your bottles in a warm, damp environment, and I bet you still get mold under your wax.

 

[Warthaug]

Rawlus:
Thanx for the answer. I've not found it too bad removing the wax, although I tend to do it when I finish a bottle, rather than doing it all in one go (which I'd imagine is a real PITA). I use beeswax or parafin; they both seem to remove with relative ease. Stubborn ones can be removed easily after a 2min soak in hot water.

Dicky:
I've made a few stamps. The current iteration was carved into glass using my works nano-fab facility. I don't imagine many here would have access to that.

In the past I've done it via a much simpler route:

1. Design your pattern (in b&w) on a computer and print it out on a laser printer or on a inkjet thermal-transfer paper.
2. Get a fine-grained wood dowel (hardwood, preferably) of the diameter you want your stamp to be. Work the dowel into the final shape (i.e. oval) if you want a non-circular stamp.
3. Using an iron, transfer your pattern onto the end of the dowel.
4. Using carving tools (exacto knife, small chisels, dremel, etc) cut out the portions you wish to be elevated on the stamp (keep in mind, your stamp has a negative profile compared to the wax you stamp it into).

Some minor advice:

1. The deeper you carve, the more obvious the pattern will be the wax.
2. Cuts should ideally be 'V' in profile. Straight-edge cuts will often plug with wax, ruining the pattern on your seal and requiring cleaning of the stamp
3. Wood sealants help to prevent wax binding to the stamp, but avoid anything that coats the wood (paint, lacquer, urethane, etc) as these will fill in the depressions in your stamp

Bryan

 

[Daze]

Store your bottles in a warm, damp environment, and I bet you still get mold under your wax.

I would take that bet every time!!!!!

The act of dipping the end of the bottle in HOT wax will kill most mold or mold spores present on the end of the cork and leave you with an air tight seal that will not allow new mold or mold spores to get in. Also mold needs oxygen to grow and the air tight seal created by the wax will keep any molds not killed by the hot wax from growing.

 

[CRZ]

I'm thinking of waxing just the tops of the corks on dark wine bottles. Insert the corks 1/8 inch from top of bottles then wax the 1/8 inch. I was also playing with the idea of stamping a letter in it then filling the stamp with a different wax color. All my searching always ended with, the wine needs to breath through the cork to properly bottle age. It can still age with the shrink wraps on , but cannot when the tops are waxed.