Tapones de botellas y corchos

Bottle Stoppers and Corks

Bottle stoppers and corks are fun and functional. Although they are most often used to seal wine bottles, some types have wider applications. They are attractive accessories for your home and fun gifts for wine lovers.

There are 3 types of bottle stoppers.

• Vacuum bottle stoppers maintain an airtight environment inside the bottle that helps preserve the wine.
• Decorative wine stoppers are an attractive way to prevent spillage and temporarily reseal the bottle.
• Pourer stoppers allow you to pour through the stopper.

These come in a set with a vacuum pump. You insert the rubber stopper into the bottleneck, put the vacuum pump over it, and pump out all the air above the wine. When you remove the pump, the rubber stopper stays in place to hold the seal.

Vacuum wine stoppers are intended to be used when you are putting the wine away for a bit. Other types of stoppers are more convenient to quickly top the bottle between rounds.

Vacuum wine stoppers can extend the life of the wine for about 2-3 days.

These bottle stoppers fit into the neck of the bottle, and they have a narrow pouring spout that extends from the center. They offer a very controlled pour and some protection from spillage if the wine is knocked over and you grab it quickly. Some bottle stoppers of this type have caps for the spouts; many do not.

Wine bottle stoppers with pouring spouts can add 1-2 days to the life of a bottle of wine. This style also lends itself to other liquids in the kitchen, like olive oil, liqueurs, and coffee flavorings.

The styles of decorative wine stoppers that are available are almost unlimited. Some are simply utilitarian caps in a variety of colors. Others have functional stoppers attached to elaborate pulls. All decorative wine stoppers can be expected to extend the life of the wine 1-2 days.

• Cork: This traditional material is from the bark of the cork oak tree. It breathes and is impermeable to moisture, making it a good choice for wines that require aging. Trees can regenerate this layer, so it is an eco-friendly material.
• Synthetic: This stopper material resembles natural bark but is made of LDPE plastic. It is most often used for young wine.
• Stainless steel: Steel is used for most metal parts of a wine stopper, like the spout of a pourer.
• Rubber: The portion of a stopper that is inserted into the bottle and creates the seal is often rubber or a rubberized material.
• Silicone: Silicone is used in place of rubber in some wine stoppers. Some novelty stoppers are composed entirely of silicone.
• Glass, chrome, plastic, wood, resin, crystal, and other materials: These materials, and more, are all used to make the pulls on decorative wine bottle stoppers.