The End for Bottle Tops and Corks
The design of bottle caps and wine bottle corks have changed very little over the last 50 years and they have done their job very well indeed. Indeed they are an iconic image to the seasoned drinker, scattered about the floor and table after a heavy night on the liquor. However, with the insurgence of the screw top wine and beer bottle, the old designs are being pushed out, and are soon to be an extinct.
Bottle caps are traditionally made from steel and the original design had 24 teeth that wrapped around the rim, although more modern caps have around 21 teeth. Whilst they were great at keeping the contents of a bottle fresh, they are a nightmare to get off and unless you have teeth made from granite, you have to use a bottle opener to stand any chance of quenching your thirst. Most inventions come about from the desire to make things quicker and easier, and this is why tops like the screw top have been embraced in the way they have.
It’s a similar story with wine bottles, although ease of entry is not the only reason wine makers are moving away from corks. A corkscrew used to be a staple part of any dinnerware set, but its usefulness is dwindling as screw top wine bottles become more popular. In the same way as beer bottles need a bottle opener, wine bottles always required a corkscrew to be close by, and that’s just not always practical. Further to this, corks loose out massively to screw tops when it comes to the storage of wine for prolonged periods. Air can breach the cork as it expands and contracts with different moisture levels in its surroundings, and air can very easily turn a wine bad. Also, it has a tendency to break up over time if the wine is stored horizontally, as it often is on a wine rack, resulting in the wine sometimes being ‘corked’ when served. So whilst it may be sad to say good bye to the bottle tops we have been so fond of, at least they are being made redundant by better products.
Sealing Wine Bottles with Thermo Caps