Why do champagne stoppers look like mushrooms? Why is there wire tied to it? About Muselet wire

For many wines, the cork acts as an umbrella, a barrier to the air and the wine. They are generally small cylinders, but there are exceptions, such as some sparkling wines like champagne, which have mushroom-like stoppers that are bulging and cute. Today RLS Group will tell you why this is happening and talk about muselet wire

1. The structure of the champagne stopper

Compared with the corks of still wines (about 24 mm in diameter), champagne corks are much wider, generally around 31 mm in diameter, and at least half of them enter the neck of the bottle. It generally also has a metal cap and metal mesh (Champagne wires/Muselet) on the outside to reinforce the bottle stopper, and a layer of metal foil is attached to it.

2. Why do champagne stoppers look like mushrooms?

In fact, the champagne cork is also cylindrical before it is stuffed into the bottle, but it is larger and wider than the ordinary cork! This is because champagne contains a lot of carbon dioxide, and the pressure in the bottle is very high (there are about 100 in a bottle of champagne Thousands of air bubbles, they may add up to more air pressure than car tires), champagne corks must be extremely compressive to seal the bottle. The whole wood is difficult and expensive to make, so the raw materials of champagne stoppers are generally composed of two parts: the top is usually the remnants of the natural cork stopper, and the bottom (that is, the part that enters the wine bottle and contacts the wine) consists of two or three parts. Made of natural cork discs, this part has the best ductility.

The diameter of champagne stoppers is generally 31 mm, and in order to be able to be inserted into the bottle, its diameter should be compressed to 18 mm. After entering the wine bottle, the bottom of the stopper is closest to the wine liquid, which will absorb the carbon dioxide in the bottle, expand slowly, prevent the carbon dioxide from running out, and keep the air pressure in the bottle stable. At the same time, this part is the most ductile natural cork, so it slowly “transforms” into a lovely mushroom shape. After a bottle of champagne is opened, the upper part of the cork will naturally stretch, so it is generally impossible to re-plug it.

Prevent liquid leakage, avoid carbon dioxide overflow, and maintain stable air pressure. It seems that a small mushroom plug has a really big effect. But if a champagne cork is stuffed into a still wine bottle, does it also become mushroom-like? No, because there is no carbon dioxide in the wine, so that layer of irritating effect is missing.

3. Why use a metal cap and a metal mesh to fix the champagne stopper?

Or because the pressure in the champagne bottle is too high! Champagne is brewed by the traditional brewing method (Methode Champenoise), and the wine must undergo secondary fermentation and de-slagging in the bottle. During the secondary fermentation, the yeast will break down the sucrose, releasing a lot of carbon dioxide, creating a lot of pressure. Ordinary wine bottles are unbearable, so champagne bottles are generally thicker and the corks are wider. The mouth of the bottle should be fixed with wire mesh to prevent the cork from popping out in advance. Everyone must be careful when opening the bottle, but don’t be like some passengers on the plane who ordered a bottle of champagne, the ceiling was broken when the bottle was opened, and finally the plane was forced to stop, causing heavy losses…

It is worth mentioning that in the early days of champagne creation, corks, tarpaulins and wax glue were used to seal the bottles, but this way of sealing the bottles easily made the corks pop out. Later, someone invented a method of fixing with a string. In 1844, Adolphe Jaqueson, a champagne house owner, pioneered the method of sealing the bottle with steel wire, but the installation and opening of the bottle are a bit inconvenient. The current version has been improved by later generations, which is more convenient and simple, and has many metal caps It will be marked with the manufacturer’s name or logo.

4. The champagne cork you lost has been played by others into a beautiful design!

Don’t throw away the stoppers of sparkling wine such as champagne after drinking, they can be made into super beautiful ornaments! At the same time, barbed wire can also be made into all kinds of interesting small crafts.