1st time using Shrink caps

[gamble]

I have yet to use shrink caps, but making daughters wedding wine so I want the presentation to look better. Any hints/tips/suggestions would be helpful. Brands to buy/avoid?, heat gun/ steam? Thanks in advance

 

[mainshipfred]

I've not found a brand that works better than others and they all seem to work fine. I use a heat gun but some use the boiling water, never heard of steam unless that's the boiling water method. With the heat gun you just have to get used to what temperature and how far away you have to be. I always start at the top and work my way down. Sometimes I hold the capsule down with a wooden coffee stirrer until it forms around the top. You may ruin a few getting started but they're cheap.

 

[toadie]

Other than looks do you think they serve much of a purpose? I have never used them but wonder if I should?

 

[mainshipfred]

Other than looks do you think they serve much of a purpose? I have never used them but wonder if I should?

Personally I don't think they serve any other purpose.

 

[StFrancis]

I always use them. When bottling a red and white at the same time , it's easier for my simple mind to keep them separate. Slip one on hold down w/slotted spoon and invert into small pot of boiling water, water deep enuf to cover cap.
Can be trimmed if using beer bottles as I did for my daughter's wedding give aways.

 

[Raptor99]

Dipping them in boiling water works well, as @StFrancis describes. It takes 3-4 seconds per bottle.

I've noticed that the shrink caps I buy as well as the ones on commercial wines have 2 or 3 tiny holes in the top. I suppose that if you use natural corks that lets the wine breath a little bit while aging. In that case, I wonder if the shrink cap reduces the amount a bottle of wine breathes. Would that decrease the danger of oxidation when aging a long time? I've never seen anyone comment on this. Just wondering...

 

[Jovimaple]

I don't use them on quick drinkers (SP and DB) but I do for wines I intend to age for a while.

I use the boiling water method, too, although I turn off the burner after the water is boiling, before I start dipping the bottles. If I have a lot and the water gets too cool, I just bring it back to a boil then turn it off again and continue dipping.

 

[David Violante]

Dipping them in boiling water works well, as @StFrancis describes. It takes 3-4 seconds per bottle.

I've noticed that the shrink caps I buy as well as the ones on commercial wines have 2 or 3 tiny holes in the top. I suppose that if you use natural corks that lets the wine breath a little bit while aging. In that case, I wonder if the shrink cap reduces the amount a bottle of wine breathes. Would that decrease the danger of oxidation when aging a long time? I've never seen anyone comment on this. Just wondering...

I haven’t used shrink caps yet but I think they do look nice for special occasions. Here’s a link to a thread about shrink caps and mold, but in that case it was a cork problem. The hole in the caps may serve the purpose of allowing some breathing and at the same time not trapping moisture.

 

[jumby]

I put shrink caps on all my bottles. I use boiling water to shrink mine. If you're going to use boiling water, do yourself a favor and pick up one of these. It also doubles as decapper for wine kit juice bags.

https://www.amazon.com/E-C-Kraus-DE-BFRY-KSCS-Heat-Shrink-Capsule/dp/B00838TZA2

 

[Jim Welch]

I use them on all my wines too, just for the aesthetics, that’s all they’re good for. We humans are naturally visual creatures, everyone of us that can see make nearly instantly decisions based on how something looks I hate to say. I’m ugly enough so whatever I make I try to make it pretty!

 

[Jim Welch]

I put shrink caps on all my bottles. I use boiling water to shrink mine. If you're going to use boiling water, do yourself a favor and pick up one of these. It also doubles as decapper for wine kit juice bags.

https://www.amazon.com/E-C-Kraus-DE-BFRY-KSCS-Heat-Shrink-Capsule/dp/B00838TZA2

I like that tool, since I use boiling water I think I’m going to get one.

 

[bstnh1]

Personally I don't think they serve any other purpose.

I agree. I gave up using them couple of years ago.

 

[mainshipfred]

I agree. I gave up using them couple of years ago.

I still do use them though, strictly for presentation.

 

[bluecrab]

I use shrink caps as a label replacement. Each batch of wine gets a unique shrink cap color. I label only one bottle with the information for the batch, but all of the bottles get a shrink cap. When I want to drink a bottle, I go to my wine rack and look through the collection of labeled bottles. I note the color of the shrink cap and then go to the wine cellar to fetch a bottle from the batch.

 

[franc1969]

Yeah, the bottles don't all get labels right away, and the shrink tops help with differentiation in low light. Keeps the bottle tops cleaner as well, but doesn't do anything to help seal.

 

[Ajmassa]

Other than looks do you think they serve much of a purpose? I have never used them but wonder if I should?

Slash can field this question for ya

 

[DizzyIzzy]

I have yet to use shrink caps, but making daughters wedding wine so I want the presentation to look better. Any hints/tips/suggestions would be helpful. Brands to buy/avoid?, heat gun/ steam? Thanks in advance

I use shrink caps on all bottles I am going to give away. The technique I use is to use a hair dryer and I blow it from the top of the bottle to the bottom of the shrink cap. Using my fingers I press it into place as I am guiding the hairdryer. (You will see it mold to the configuration of the bottle). I have found this method to be quite successful. If you have any further questions, I am at your disposal....................................................DizzyIzzy

 

[wpt-me]

I use a tea kettle and a fork to hold a cap in place over a stream of steam.

 

[Rice_Guy]

Synthetic corks are rated at 5 to 7 mg oxygen per year
Natural corks are typically rated up to 10 but some grades leak more
Compared to the oxygen transmission rate of the cork, a capsule isn’t even there.

I've noticed that the shrink caps I buy as well as the ones on commercial wines have 2 or 3 tiny holes in the top. I suppose that if you use natural corks that lets the wine breath a little bit while aging. In that case, I wonder if the shrink cap reduces the amount a bottle of wine breathes. Would that decrease the danger of oxidation when aging a long time? I've never seen anyone comment on this. Just wondering...

 

[TurkeyHollow]

We use the boiling water method holding the seal with a dinner fork while dipping. We also label our bottles. If you print your own labels as we do, you may want to label after dipping to avoid any label wrinkling (or ink running if you use ink not toner).