Metal Wine Stopper Supplies

Why You Need Metal Wine Stopper Supplies

As soon as a bottle of wine is opened, it begins to oxidize. Initially, this air contact is beneficial for aged wine or wine high in tannins. Allowing these types of wine to come in contact with the air often helps to further develop the wine's tasting characteristics and bouquet and help to mellow harsh tannins. After a while, air becomes the enemy -- turning the most delicate of wine into vinegar. Once the bottle is opened, there is nothing that can be done to completely stop this oxidation process. Oxidation can, however, be slowed by using wine stoppers.

Types of Wine Stoppers

There are three main types of wine stoppers you can purchase:

• Wood – Wine stoppers made of wood generally have a wood top and a cork bottom. Some wood wine stoppers offer a metal bottom that provides a vacuum seal.
• Glass – Glass wine stoppers have a glass design on top and a metal end with a rubber seal to help prevent air from seeping into the bottle.
• Metal – Metal wine stoppers are offered in a variety of shapes and sizes. Most offer a rubber seal on the end or have a cork end, while others have vacuum seal systems.

Which Type Best Suits You

When deciding upon which type of wine stopper you buy, you must ask yourself two questions:

• How often do you drink wine?
  • For the occasional wine drinker - Save yourself money and stick with the simpler rubber seal or cork end wine stoppers.
  • For the serious wine enthusiast – Invest in a high-quality wine stopper with a vacuum system and a few less expensive wine stoppers for those occasions when you have more than one bottle of wine opened (at a dinner party or picnic, for example).
• How often is there wine left in the bottle when you have finished drinking?
  • Occasionally – If you only leave wine in the bottle once in a while, simple rubber sealed stoppers will be more than sufficient to store your wine for the next two to three days.
  • All the time – If you find that your wine bottles are always half-full at the end of the night, you may want to invest in metal wine stoppers with a vacuum seal system.

Metal Wine Stopper Supplies: Vacuum Seal vs. Traditional

Vacuum seal wine stoppers are can cost from around $10 to over $100 and will preserve your wine for five to seven days.

• Metal wine stoppers with hand pump vacuums – These wine stoppers allow you to pump excess air from the wine bottle before sealing.
• Metal wine stoppers with automatic vacuum seal systems – Automatic vacuum seal systems use a battery-operated vacuum to pump excess air from the wine bottle. Some automatic vacuum seal systems come complete with vacuum canisters.

Traditional metal wine stoppers come in one of two combinations: metal stoppers with cork bottoms and metal stoppers with rubber seals.

• Metal wine stoppers with cork bottoms – Designed with a decorative metal top and cork bottom, these wine stoppers are best if you plan on consuming a bottle of wine within three days of opening. The cork does not form as tight a seal as the rubber seal variety of wine stoppers.
• Metal wine stoppers with rubber seals – Thin rubber seals line the bottom of these metal wine stoppers. The seals are wider at the top than the bottom, providing extra protection from air seeping into the wine bottle.

Where to Buy Metal Wine Stoppers

For all types of wine stoppers, visit the Wine Enthusiast website.

• Vacu Vin Stainless Steel Vacuum Wine Saver $29.95
• PEK Preservino Wine Preservation Bottle Stoppers $15.95
• Epicurean Wine Saver - Extra Pourer Stopper (Set of two) $19.95
• Epicurean Wine & Champagne Saver & Stopper Set $119.95

For a variety of silver plated wine stoppers, try the Silver Impressions website:

• Engravable silver plated wine stoppers $8.75
• Pewter wine stoppers $22.00
• Round large silver-plated engravable wine bottle stopper $9.50

You can also visit your local Target, Bed Bath and Beyond or Pier 1 Imports to find the perfect wine stopper.