There Is An Actual Point To The Red Wax On Some Wine Bottles

If you're of drinking age, chances are either you or someone you know picks out wine solely based on the label's design. There's no shame! We've all done it. While we generally advise you look beyond advertising and labels when picking out a nice bottle of wine, there is one aesthetic addition that can give you some insight into the quality of wine inside the bottle and it all has to do with how the bottle is sealed.

Those who have spent more than five minutes in the wine aisle of the grocery store will have seen a variety of wine seals ranging from aluminum to cork to rubber. You may have also noticed bottles sporting a coating of red wax. Upon first glance, a wax-sealed bottle of wine looks a little gimmicky — like wine manufacturers want you to feel like you've been transported back to the Regency Era while sipping on your pinot noir. But in reality, the seal serves a pretty useful purpose; it keeps the oxygen out of your wine. Even with a wine cork hidden under an aluminum seal, some oxygen can still get into your bottle. Exposure to oxygen degrades wine, so the added measure ensures that the bottle doesn't spoil before you have a chance to open it.

Historically, wax seals were a great way for wine to survive long, sometimes damp, and vermin-infested overseas transportation journeys. Nowadays, the red wax is more closely associated with higher-end bottles like elegant versatile pinot noir from Belle Glos, a maker famous for its iconic deep, waxy dips. However, some wine growers and makers are beginning to wax seal their bottles for another reason altogether: sustainability.

While aluminum and other plastics have largely improved wine-sealing technology, they've also introduced new, hard-to-recycle materials to the wine-bottling process. By turning to natural waxes, wine makers not only create an oxygen-deprived environment for their wines thus reducing the potential for spoiled inventory, but they make recycling easier, too. It's a lot easier to recycle the glass, as the wax melts off in the high-fire recycling process, saving the fiddly process of waste management companies having to remove and separate any metal or plastic. All in all, there are plenty of excellent wines that do not sport any sort of wax coating, but if a red, waxy bottle catches your eye, it's certainly worth picking up and trying out.