Plastic stoppers for Champagne bottles

[SteveHoward]

When I started asking for wine bottles, I really hit the jackpot with one lady in my office. She and her husband and their friends love champagne, and she is giving me about 5 - 7 champagne bottles every week. These are very nice bottles that held some quite nice champagne. She's now given me over 3 dozen of these.

As I continue on into this little adventure, I can see these are so superior to all the other bottles I am getting, and perfect for the sparkling wines (and possibly ciders) I'd like to make. And that brings me to my questions.

It looks like the champagne corkers are rather expensive. I might not mind that if I know for sure there is an advantage to using it. But I see the plastic champagne stoppers quite cheap.

Is there a real advantage to using the corks over the plastic stoppers? or is it more of a tradition thing? Will the wine age well with the plastic stoppers?

I'd like to hear someone's experience with this - especially if you have comparative experience you can share.

 

[huesmann]

It's almost certainly a tradition thing. Unless you're producing Dom or VC, I don't think you have much to lose by using plastic stoppers.

 

[gratus fermentatio]

I've used the plastic stoppers, they're really easy. You don't need a corker, just a rubber mallet, the wire cages & a wire twisting tool. Just tap the stoppers into the bottles with the mallet. As for the twisting tool, I use this one:
http://www.midwestsupplies.com/hand-operated-champagne-wire-tightener.html

It takes a couple of times to figure out just how many turns are best (7 or 8 for me), so you'll want to be sure you have a few extra wire cages on hand to replace the 1st couple that you twist too tight & break. There really is no substitute for the wire twisting tool, it'll save your fingers on the 1st twist.

After bottling with the plastic stoppers, I always give each bottle a bit of a shake, to wet the inside of the stoppers & make sure there's a good seal. Hope this info helps.
Regards, GF.

 

[SteveHoward]

Very helpful. Thank you.

 

[KevinM]

Mallet? I just push them in with my hands. Sometimes I think about it and I use a wood block in case the neck snaps. (No need to go impaling myself on sharp glass now.) It doesn't take a lot of pressure. As for the cages, I just use a screwdriver.

I don't know if they've been tested for extensive aging, but there's really no issue in the short term of a year or two. I'm not sure I'd try to age one for 20 years, (not saying I wouldn't, just that I wouldn't go out of my way trying), at this time. Besides, the aged ones are somehow supposed to also look classier and use the cork fittings, and I just don't.

I use champagne bottles for my beer, sparkling cider, regular wine and sake. (The plastic tops are reusable to an extent, and I don't feel the need to scavenge wine bottles when I can use champagne bottles for all purposes.) I also use american champagne bottles just to use a standard bottle cap, but that's different anyways.