Shrink Capsules......educate me.

[djrockinsteve]

I bought a heat gun for about $15.00 at one of the craft stores. Got this down to a science.

Place the shrink cap on with the pull tab near the back of the bottle. Turn on the heat gun and allow it to warm up about 30 seconds.

Angle the gun downward at a 45* angle and hold above the bottle but off to the side. Allow the heat to blow downward across the foil wrap and begin to spin the bottle with your other hand. I start near the top of the wrap and as it starts to shrink I spin a hair faster and work my way down the bottle.

After it's 90% done I'll fine tune finishing it by a right angle direction and move the gun up n down briskly to finish off any small wrinkles.

Almost all come out perfect. Wade I did liik into a thermo encap. but I only wrap those I dress up for friends and clients. I told Runningwolf once all we need is the heating element and a switch on a block of wood but never went any further.

It does dres up the bottles though.

 

[dangerdave]

The purpose of which is to protect the cork from being gnawed away by rodents or infested with the cork weevil.

Ah, the dreaded vermin and the infamous cork weevil! My cat keeps out the vermin, and my cellar is weevil free, so I'll stick to my shrinkiless bottles , thank you.

 

[BobF]

I think there are two other advatages other than dress-up. They might help hold a cork in long enough for you to notice a problem and they should slow down evaporation in low humidity conditions.

 

[rhoffart]

I think there are two other advatages other than dress-up. They might help hold a cork in long enough for you to notice a problem and they should slow down evaporation in low humidity conditions.

They just belong IMO. I don't recall any commercial wines without them. But hey ... to each his own, heck you don't even need a label.

 

[BobF]

They just belong IMO. I don't recall any commercial wines without them. But hey ... to each his own, heck you don't even need a label.

Some of mine have them, some have labels, some have nothing. Mood has a lot to do with it.

It's easy to add decorative stuff later if you decide to give some away.

 

[Julie]

Currently I don't use them by when I bottle what I have in the carboys, I will but I'm not sure if I will do all our just some, like those that I give away. Up until this point I just could not see putting capsules on a bottle of wine that I was opening 6 months after I bottled it. I now have a supply large enough that my wines are a year old before I open a bottle.

 

[BobF]

... I now have a supply large enough that my wines are a year old before I open a bottle.

A wonderful place to be, for sure!

 

[Julie]

A wonderful place to be, for sure!

yes it is, lol, i had to learn the hardway. I now make skeeter pee strictly for my family. They now leave my good wine alone. I cannot give someone a bottle of zinfindal or riesling when they tell me that they drank it from a plastic tumbler full of ice.

 

[dangerdave]

yes it is, lol, i had to learn the hardway. I now make skeeter pee strictly for my family. They now leave my good wine alone. I cannot give someone a bottle of zinfindal or riesling when they tell me that they drank it from a plastic tumbler full of ice.

How long did it take to get to this point, Julie? I'm starting to bulk age my good stuff so they won't bother it. I keep cranking out Pee, too, to keep them distracted. Time will tell.

 

[Julie]

How long did it take to get to this point, Julie? I'm starting to bulk age my good stuff so they won't bother it. I keep cranking out Pee, too, to keep them distracted. Time will tell.

I have been making wine for 4 years now, going into my 5th year but after making wines for 2 years, I ended up supplying my son with wine for their wedding, which wiped me out of about 85 bottles but understand I only had about 6 caboys at that time as well.

I would say within 2 years, lol, if you are pumping out the skeeter pee you should be getting a nice supply stocked.

ROFLMAO, and only share you good stuff with those who come to your home and force them to drink from a wine glass!

 

[Wade E]

It really depends on how hard yowant to work the first few years. You really need to pump it out to get ahead! Once there though its much easier to let the wine age properly and then you can just plug along and keep up!

 

[Dougxox]

capsuls are now mostly for decoration, aside from "vermin and cork wevils" the other reason for capsuls was for retails. when bottles were standing up in a store, customers would compair the amout of wine in each bottle grabbing the ones with the most in them and leaving the ones that were not filled as much. With a capsul you could not tell how much was in the bottles.

 

[Runningwolf]

:0 Doug that is too funny as I had never heard of that but I can see people doing that.

 

[Rocky]

Doug, I can absolutely believe that. I watched a lady in one of our local food stores picking out a package of celery. She must have examined every head in the bin. You would have thought the fate of mankind hung in the balance.

 

[Lurker]

I only put a capsule on when it is ready to be gifted.

 

[robie]

capsuls are now mostly for decoration, aside from "vermin and cork wevils" the other reason for capsuls was for retails. when bottles were standing up in a store, customers would compair the amout of wine in each bottle grabbing the ones with the most in them and leaving the ones that were not filled as much. With a capsul you could not tell how much was in the bottles.

Too funny!

I don't use capsules. Here in Colorado the water boils at a lower temperature, so if you try to use boiling water to shrink them, the capsules don't shrink down evenly or as well. Just don't see the need to spend the money for the right equipment to do it properly, I guess.

As a side, nowadays the commercial bottles are filled with machines, so typically the levels should be very nearly the same from bottle to bottle for a particular label. So, when you see a bottle, whose level is low, it is a good indication the cork has been leaking, so the wine most likely will not be much good.

 

[Dougxox]

Too funny!

As a side, nowadays the commercial bottles are filled with machines, so typically the levels should be very nearly the same from bottle to bottle for a particular label.

Even so, there may be a slight difference in bottle fill if even by 1/4 inch (which may only be a teaspoon full) in the neck some tightwad would grab that one.

 

[Giovannino]

Here in Colorado the water boils at a lower temperature

Serious question. Are you being serious? Call this Canuck stupid but I've never heard of water boiling at different temps. I guess I'll have to look this one up on Wikepedia.

Ooops! Just did. Who says this place is only for learning about lachryma vitis.

 

[Runningwolf]

Serious question. Are you being serious? Call this Canuck stupid but I've never heard of water boiling at different temps. I guess I'll have to look this one up on Wikepedia.

Ooops! Just did. Who says this place is only for learning about lachryma vitis.

Giovannino you crack me up. LMAO I believe altitude can change everything including cooking temperatures for recipes.

 

[Lurker]

I finally learned about lachryma vitis. Not related to St. Vitis dance.