Wine Corks
The first thing that you do to wine is to chill it. It is important that the wine is cool enough for you to drink and not too warm to gross you out. The next thing you do is to unscrew the wine corks. Of course, you will not be able to drink the delectable drink without taking out the cork that prevents the wine from spilling.
There are two things that are considered to be most important about wine: the bottle and the cork. If you actually research about the history of wine, it was all about the struggle to keep the wine from turning into vinegar. It is much different from the wine that we know today.
Back then, for you to be able to purchase wine, you would need to go to merchants who have their own containers. From there, you draw out a portion. The containers are usual ceramic amphorae or the classic oak barrels. This was the tradition until the 1700s where the mass production of bottles began. It was also then when wine corks were put into use. The corks were used to protect the wine from oxygen leaking into the wine and eventually spoiling it.
The glass bottles back then were short and fat. They had conical necks as well. In the 1720s, the bottles were then developed to taller ones and more cylindrical ones. This made the bottles a lot easier to store. However, it was considered illegal to sell wine in Britain if it were in a bottle. It was only in the 1860s that it was allowed. It was also then when corks were branded with the names of the manufacturers of wine from Europe. And this is where the tradition of presenting the wine corks at the table for serving began. It is a way to prove the origin of the wine, proof of the process that it went through and the quality of the taste.
In the mid 1800s, the bottles and corks were now the norm for wine. It was then when these were mass produced. During this time, the three basic shapes were also developed – Burgundy, Bordeaux and German Riesling. Until today, these shapes are still connected with the perception of the wine that nestles inside the bottle. Chardonnay and Pinot Noir is put in a Burgundy bottle, for example. And Cabernet-based reds are put in Bordeaux bottles along with wines of other black grapes. Wine bottles with heavier glass are employed for Champagne. This is so that the bottle can withstand the bubbles’ pressure.
The glass bottle along with its partner, the wine cork, is inseparable. And together they were able to revolutionize wine. For the first time ever, people were able to taste the classic goodness of wine even after years of storing it in your cellar. And you are now able to let your wine mature even more after a decade. This reveals a more profound character of the wine. And it offers a more aristocratic appeal as well. And this would not be possible today without the partnership or bottles and wine corks.