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    Glass Wine Corks

    August 28, 2011 by G. Stephen Jones 64 Comments

    Glass Wine Corks

    Glass Wine Corks – What Will They Think of Next

    We had to evacuate our beach vacation on Friday and made it through Hurricane Irene last night safely although our power went out this morning. I wanted to follow up from my last post about dinner at Quahog’s Seafood Shack in Stone Harbor, NJ.

    With everything from octopus ceviche to barbecued Pacu Pacu fish ribs to a Brazilian version of cioppino called Moqueca on the menu, that is story enough and if you didn’t see it, you can read the post at Dining Out in Stone Harbor.

    But that’s not what I want to tell you about today.  The real surprise of the night came when the waiter uncorked the bottle of Calera Chardonnay that we’d brought with us and presented us with something that looked a bit like a glass drawer pull.  It was actually the “cork!”

    Now, I’m familiar with synthetic corks, and I’ve even gotten used to screw tops on nice bottles of wine, but this is the first time I’d ever seen a class cork.  I did a little research and it turns out that its official name is Vino Seal, and it’s produced by Alcoa.  It first came on the scene in 2003 in Europe, and some American winemakers began using it for some of their wines as early as 2006.

    Glass Cork

    Advantages of a Glass Cork

    There are a couple of really nice things about the Vino Seal.  For one, it looks a bit like a regular decanter stopper, which is kind of cool.  It certainly looks much nicer than a plastic cork or a screw top.  Maybe I’m a bit old school, but I really do like natural cork.  I also realize that, while natural cork has been in use the longest and is the most accepted wine closure, it is not always the best choice.

    Since cork is an agricultural product–the thick, spongy bark taken from a living tree–there are some down sides to its use.  For one, sometimes the phenols present in cork can react with the wine, causing cork taint.  Wines that are “corked.”  In short, mold forms and contaminates the wine. Sometimes the wine can smell or taste like mildew, but other times, the wine just might taste a little. “off.”  Regardless, anywhere from 5-10% of wines sealed with natural cork can end up with cork taint.

    Since the Vino Seal is made of smooth glass, there is no chance of its interacting with the wine in any way.  The seal part of the Vino Seal is achieved with a small O-ring under the lip of the stopper.  This creates a hermetic, or air-tight, seal.

    Another plus of the Vino Seal is that it is reusable.  If for some reason you don’t finish your bottle of wine, just reinsert the stopper into the bottle.  The O-ring again creates the seal, and you can finish your bottle the next day.  You can’t do that with natural or synthetic corks, because to pull a cork, you have to basically drill a hole all the way through it with your cork screw.

    Vino Seal glass cork

    Wines that are sealed with almost any closure other than natural cork do not have to be stored on their sides.  Natural cork needs to be kept moist to maintain the tight seal.  Store your wine upright for too long, and the cork dries out, shrinks and then there goes your seal.  While this is a plus for the Vino Seal, it can also be a minus.  The foil that covers the seal and the neck of the bottle helps to maintain the air-tight seal. So, when unopened, you can store the wine either lying down or upright, but once you open the bottle, it is best to keep it upright to prevent any minor leaking.

    Overall, I think that the Vino Seal is a pretty elegant solution to wine closure.  And while this very cool, classy way to seal wine is still seen primarily in German and South African wines, it is already taking hold here in the United States, with wineries in both Washington State and Napa Valley, California trying out the Vino Seal on some of their wines.

    Oh, one more downside of the Vino Seal?  You can’t play the cork came where you drop the cork on the table and see who can get it to stand on end in the fewest tries.  It’s a small price to pay to end up with such an elegant wine stopper, so maybe I’ll just start carrying an old cork in my pocket, just in case we get the urge to play the cork game.

    Have You Come Across A Glass Wine Cork Lately?

    I’m interested to know how many of you have see this new type of wine closure and what wines are you finding it on. Please let me know in the comments section.

     

     

    « Dining Out in Stone Harbor
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    Filed Under: Wine & Alcohol

    I'm a work-at-home dad who enjoys cooking, learning everything I can about the culinary world and sharing it with you. To learn more about me... Read More…

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Linda F. W.

      January 30, 2012 at 9:43 pm

      We came across our first glass cork in a bottle of Bugay Long Stem Rose (Sonoma). It is quite elegant and allowed us to close up the bottle with half remaining with no problem at all. Seems like a great idea finally happening.

      Reply
    2. Eve V.

      March 11, 2012 at 11:19 pm

      2009 Grey Stack Sauv Blanc love it!

      Reply
    3. Joe L.

      April 09, 2012 at 5:23 am

      I was startled by one in a 2009 Utopia viognier. (Utopia is an amazing small winery in Oregon.) I’m glad I didn’t try to pry it out with a corkscrew! The sound and feel of it is the most elegant alternative to cork.

      Reply
    4. K. Dragovich

      May 07, 2012 at 4:49 pm

      Nero D’Avalo by Cusumano – The glass stopper was such a nice little surprise and gave us much to talk about.

      Reply
    5. W. Pfeffer

      May 19, 2012 at 2:13 am

      I was also startled by the glass cork. It took a couple minutes for me to understand what I was trying to uncork! The Bravante Sauvignon Blanc is fabulous and the glass cork makes it even more elegant.

      Reply
    6. Dennis

      June 03, 2012 at 2:56 pm

      We live in the rhinegau here in Germany (like Napa Ca) and this glass cork is pretty much standard here. I like it because you can close up your unused nectar and drink it tomorrow. It really works well for all the Rieseling we drink… Yum

      Reply
    7. Pat

      August 03, 2012 at 4:02 pm

      Anyone know when I can buy these glass corks???

      Reply
    8. Phil

      October 01, 2012 at 3:22 pm

      Found my first one today! 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon from Johnson Estate Winery, Westfield NY

      Reply
    9. Donetta

      October 01, 2012 at 3:23 pm

      What a shock. Found the glass stopper on a bottle of Red Remy Wine from McMinneville, OR. I like the idea of being able to recap the bottle and not loose any of the flavors of the wine.

      Reply
    10. Nicole Best

      November 15, 2012 at 9:36 pm

      Yes -we have come across a glass wine top. I honestly dont remember the wine it came from but we reuse the topper on other wines we want to cover. I wish I could remember the wine -good marketing would to have the name etched on the top because I probably would have bought it again. Also, I think it adds a touch of class or richness to the experience of opening a nice bottle of wine.

      Reply
    11. Janet K.

      November 24, 2012 at 6:51 pm

      We don’t drink a lot of wine, but someone gifted me a bottle or Suhr Luchtel cabernet sauv and I decided to save it for Thanksgiving. Imagine my surprise when, after searching the house for my wine “uncorker” (I told you I don’t drink much wine!), I took off the foil and saw something I’d never seen before. A glass cork. What I really liked about it was that I was able to uncork without an opener! And was able to cork it back up to finish the next day. I give the glass cork a “thumbs up”!

      Reply
    12. Claude Martimbeau

      December 30, 2012 at 5:37 pm

      Good morning,

      I just open a sicilian wine -NERO D’AVENO- with that type of seal.
      The wine was also good.

      Thank you,
      Claude Martimbeau

      Reply
    13. Catherine Chandler

      January 20, 2013 at 1:37 am

      Came across our first vino seal ever tonight in a bottle of R Stuart 2008 Pinot Noir

      Reply
    14. John W

      April 03, 2013 at 7:52 pm

      There is a vineyard in Virgina, Glass House, that uses the glass cork on all the bottles.

      Reply
    15. Eva Gold

      August 21, 2013 at 6:55 pm

      It is quite common here in Austria with Austrian wines! I quite like it personally, and find it a bit more sophisticated than the regular screw top wines without corks.

      Reply
    16. Judy

      October 28, 2013 at 9:04 pm

      Cusumano, Nero d’avila, Sicilian…..
      Fun … In Vermont and the inn we are staying at gave us a complimentary bottle of wine. So good.
      We make wine and beer and never saw this before.

      Reply
    17. Amie Spengler

      January 21, 2014 at 9:46 pm

      Husband and I just opened a bottle of Cristom Viognier Estate 2007 from Oregon that had a glass cork. We are not frequent wine drinkers, more beer people, but this was lovely and I am pleased to know that we can re-use the cork!

      Reply
    18. Donna Hellman

      March 02, 2014 at 2:17 pm

      Also in a Sicilian: Cusumano Insolia. Now I’ll be watching for it in the Nero d’Avola we’ll be opening tonight!

      Reply
    19. Victor Couwenbergh

      May 26, 2014 at 4:43 am

      Scaia 2013, an Italian wine from Veneto. A beautiful blend of Garganega and Chadonnay.

      Reply
    20. Mike A

      May 28, 2014 at 2:27 pm

      Invetro Toscana 2010 Italian red wine

      Reply
      • Maureen

        October 04, 2019 at 9:13 pm

        I bought the same wine for an event at my home last weekend. How on earth do you uncork the glass cork? I’ve been trying for days with zero success🙁

        Reply
    21. matthew

      June 21, 2014 at 5:37 am

      I have seen a few of these over the years but only on Austrian and European imports, specifically the Salomon Stein Kogl Riesling from Austria. there is an elegant simplicity to these stoppers that I enjoy, and in conjunction with the WINESAVE argon gas they work as an excellent cork substitute for other bottled wines

      Reply
    22. Jonathan Kiviniemi

      August 12, 2014 at 1:33 pm

      Oakville Cross Cabernet, one of the many great wines in our portfolio, utilizes the vino seal.

      Reply
    23. Edward Woods

      August 23, 2014 at 10:22 am

      I am sure the glass stopper is sufficient to cork a bottle of wine, but vineyards need to consider packaging when shipping glass corked bottles.

      My summer allocation from R Sinskey Vineyards came yesterday, and one of the bottles was leaking. This was most likely due to a combination of factors: 1) molded paper shipping spacers, and 2) transport. It appears as though handling from the shipper (FedEx in this case) between the dock, truck and my doorstep was enough to ‘bump’ the cork, breaking the seal.

      If a vineyard is to use this technology and ship wine to their members, one should consider styrofoam shipping cradles to firmly secure the bottle in the shipping box.

      Cheers!

      Reply
    24. Gill Cutterham

      October 17, 2014 at 1:46 pm

      just opened a wine we bought in Castell Miquel in Mallorca and it has a glass cork, wonderful idea..

      Reply
    25. Gay Mollette

      November 19, 2014 at 10:52 pm

      Encountered my first glass “cork” this evening in Cusumano Nero D’Avola 2012, an Italian red imported by Terlato Wines.

      Reply
      • G. Stephen Jones

        November 20, 2014 at 7:20 am

        Gay, they are very cool the first time you come across one.

        Reply
        • Grace

          May 20, 2019 at 3:40 pm

          Not sure how to open it, so I’m scanning this thread for the secret. Terrified I’ll break it. Gerard Bertrand Rose, in a lovely rose-shaped bottle. (Yes, I bought it for the a bottle, hope we like the wine.)

          Reply
          • G. Stephen Jones

            May 22, 2019 at 12:08 pm

            Hi Grace, just twist it off should work.

            Reply
    26. Janell

      September 06, 2015 at 8:50 am

      I found one in Cusumano Syrah…what a fun surprise it was. I’m trying to think of fun ways to reuse those fun corks.

      Reply
      • The Reluctant Gourmet

        September 11, 2015 at 12:19 pm

        Besides in some work of art, I’m wondering what to do with mine too.

        Reply
        • Betty Gailes

          March 19, 2018 at 7:24 pm

          I am learning to facet gemstones. I use these glass corks for practice. They make beautiful “gems” and I have set a couple, which I wear.

          Reply
          • G. Stephen Jones

            March 20, 2018 at 1:35 pm

            Betty, that is very cool. Send me a photo if you don’t mind. I would love to see how they look.

            Reply
        • Molly

          July 16, 2019 at 4:44 pm

          I reuse mine in other bottles. So far they have been very sturdy when I drop them, non have broken yet. I also keep several in a drawer and give them to my friends when they come over for wine.

          Reply
        • misty mosley

          November 01, 2019 at 9:06 am

          I’m reusing my bottles and stoppers to make flavored vinegars for gifts..

          Reply
          • G. Stephen Jones

            November 01, 2019 at 10:57 am

            Great idea Misty. Thanks for sharing.

            Reply
    27. Evelyn

      September 26, 2015 at 1:04 pm

      I just found my first wine cork in an Italian wine from Veneto, which is a nice, smooth medium bodied wine: Tenuta Sant’Antonio Scaia Corvina 2013

      Reply
    28. Jim Franklin

      February 07, 2016 at 9:29 pm

      Bought a bottle of Gerard Bertrand Cote des Roses at Costo. BEEEAUtiful bottle & product. Wine wasn’t bad, as it turned out, either. We just put together 60 gallons of rose and I thought the bottling in ‘this’ bottle would be outstanding. It’s just gorgeous. However, the only item I can locate is ‘the cork,’ in this case a glass cork. I like the idea, as it gets away from synthetic/short term/long term, 3 different corking machines, and so on. If you’ve a lead on the bottle (which has a rose embedded in the bottom) I would really like to hear where it might be purchased.

      thanks

      franklin

      Reply
    29. Michelle Nystrom

      March 20, 2016 at 8:21 pm

      Tonight I opened a lovely 2014 Chateau De Fabregues Grenache/Syrah blend Rose from the Rhone region of France. To my delight it had a glass cork! I only read of them in my Certified Wine Professional studies.

      Nice surprise! Love it!

      Reply
    30. dick

      May 09, 2016 at 6:57 am

      Been drinking wine for years and finally saw one with a glass cork. Seems superior and classier to any of the alternatives, even cork, given the silicone is of high quality.

      Now why not go to 100% glass on glass fittings, as in scientific glass equipment? This would enable the wine to age in a 100% glass environment with no exposure to plastics, cork, silicone, or other agents which will, invariably, on some scale alter the taste.

      Reply
    31. Faye

      August 25, 2016 at 10:38 am

      On a wine-tasting in SE France, off a river cruise, the bottles had glass corks. They gave the corks they used to us! I wish I’d gotten dozens! I love using them to re-cork wine. It lets the bottles stand upright in my refrigerator door shelf. Sorry I don’t remember the name, Chateau “something” I think. I’m going to try to buy some.

      Reply
    32. Robert Sedey

      January 23, 2017 at 12:11 pm

      Just ran into the glass wine stopper at Remy Wine in the Williamette Valley of Oregon. Good choice. Much more elegant than the screw top. Fine wine as well.

      Reply
    33. Evelyn King

      March 26, 2017 at 12:07 pm

      Just opened our Red Remy wine from McMinnville, OR (Willamette Valley) and voila’…. a glass cork!! Love it!!

      Reply
    34. Tina

      May 07, 2017 at 9:08 am

      Folin Cellars outside Medford Oregon uses them. They’re really classy.

      That being said, I want to find a way to reuse a few of them. They’re so unique, I thought it would be cool to make something out of them for a wine gala fund raiser. Any ideas?

      Thanx

      Reply
      • G. Stephen Jones

        May 10, 2017 at 10:57 am

        I agree Tina, it would be great to know how to reuse them. I’m sure someone with more artistic talents than I have could come up with a unique art piece.

        Reply
    35. Dave

      June 23, 2017 at 9:28 am

      I discovered my first one last night when opening a bottle of 2015 Scaia Corvina (Familigia Castagnedi). I like the fact that it makes the bottle resealable, and I am going to save it to reclose other wine bottles that are regularly corked. It’s was a delightful discovery – an ingenious alternative to corks, which sometimes crumble or split, and screw tops.

      Reply
      • G. Stephen Jones

        June 24, 2017 at 9:58 am

        They are fun to look at too.

        Reply
    36. JM

      August 13, 2018 at 2:39 pm

      I just came across my first one in a 2005 Surh Luchtel Syrah (Napa)

      Reply
      • G. Stephen Jones

        August 14, 2018 at 5:07 pm

        They are so cool when you find one.

        Reply
    37. Karen

      December 31, 2018 at 4:08 pm

      We were given a bottle of Heinrich Zweigelt 2015 for Christmas and when I removed the foil I was surprised to find a glass cork! That was so cool, but how do I safely remove the cork? (At least I was smart enough not to use my corkscrew!)

      Reply
      • G. Stephen Jones

        January 01, 2019 at 11:08 am

        Hi Karen, lucky you to find a glass cork. I don’t see them often but smile when I get one. Just pull it out like you would with a cork stopper on a bottle of good bourbon.

        Reply
    38. Diane Magargal

      January 09, 2019 at 6:06 pm

      I first saw this last weekend in a bottle of Sicilian “Cusumano Nero D’Avola” my bottle resealed wonderfully and I re-stored it in my wine Frig to maintain temperature. Nothing leaked and in fact, it was like re-opening the bottle to serve the remaining wine 3 days later. Flavor was maintained fairly well considering there is air in the bottle. Would love to see these used more often- Nd could they be recycled for re-use?

      Reply
    39. Mike Kabris

      May 30, 2019 at 7:57 pm

      I have 170 glass corks for wine bottles. How can I sell them?

      Reply
    40. Joseph Blaylock

      February 27, 2020 at 9:17 pm

      We came across our first glass cork (that’s why I’m here!) on an Italian wine- Invetro (in vetro means “in glass”, Invetro may just be a name) Renieri, red wine. It states Geografica Tipica, but no region!? Only Red Wine Product of Italy. Hope this is useful info for you.

      Reply
    41. Vicky

      August 25, 2020 at 6:45 am

      I’ve been looking for a couple of glass corks for ages. Do you know where I can find one?

      Reply
      • G. Stephen Jones

        August 26, 2020 at 4:17 pm

        I would go to your liquor store and ask if they know of any wines they sell with glass corks. You might also try searching google for “wines with glass corks” and then go purchase a few bottles.

        Reply
    42. Kathie Corbin

      August 26, 2020 at 5:44 pm

      I too am having difficulty removing the glass cork due to arthritic fingers! No luck with this Hampton Water Rose’.. K

      Reply
      • G. Stephen Jones

        August 27, 2020 at 12:16 pm

        Hi Kathie, I wonder if you purchase one of those gadgets to help open bottles. That may help with your Hampton Water Rose.

        Reply
    43. Joanne Rolfe

      September 25, 2020 at 7:26 pm

      My sister gave me a bottle of Scaia Garganega/Chardonnay and I put the corkscrew right back in the drawer! Pretty cool!

      Reply
      • G. Stephen Jones

        September 29, 2020 at 2:53 pm

        Those glass wine corks are soooo cool!

        Reply
    44. Anita Lilly

      October 15, 2020 at 8:04 am

      Scandalous One, Cabernet Noir, Product of France. What a pleasant surprise this beautiful black glass cork. Love it.

      Reply
      • G. Stephen Jones

        October 15, 2020 at 12:13 pm

        Hi Anita, I have not seen a black glass cork yet. Thanks for sharing.

        Reply
    45. Jennifer Presley

      October 17, 2020 at 8:14 pm

      I just opened a bottle of Heinrich Zweigelt 2017 and it has a beautiful glass cork! Wonderful wine with the added stopper! A must try for anyone!

      Reply
      • G. Stephen Jones

        October 23, 2020 at 1:51 pm

        Aren’t they fun to find?

        Reply

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