🍷 Sealing wax

Sealing wax is coloured wax used to seal the neck of a bottle. Classic sealing wax is made from resin, shellac and a colouring agent, and wineries today still use wax compounds of a similar kind. The bottle is dipped neck first into the molten mass, which sets as a hard, dense crust.

In the past sealing wax was a way of protecting the cork. It kept out air, insects and mould and showed that the bottle had not been opened. Later it was replaced by the capsule of foil or plastic. Sealing wax is regarded as an old forerunner of the capsule.

Today wax is applied for looks. Some estates seal bottles of special wines with wax to stress their status. Such a bottle is opened simply: the crust is cut or chipped off, and then the cork is pulled as usual.

Sealing wax is not a required part of wine and does not affect the taste if the cork is sound. It is more a craft tradition that lives on in winemaking.