In many cases, the contents of a wine bottle are consumed within hours of opening the bottle. In this case, the bottle can be recycled and the cork disposed of (or saved for your cork collection). However, there are many instances in which you may wish to re-cork your wine bottle. For example:
You opened the wrong bottle of wine (oops!).
You opened several bottles of wine for a gathering of friends, but a few bottles were left untouched.
You opened a bottle of wine and enjoyed a glass or two, but want to save the last two glasses for the next evening.
In these cases, you’ll need to learn how to put the cork back in the bottle in order to preserve the wine. In today’s blog, we review how to put the cork back in a wine bottle. We also share some alternative solutions for resealing your wine bottle (without the cork).
Before we uncork the details, though, a little bit about the KnowWines blog. We are an Amazon.com affiliate and we do receive a small commission if you purchase items through our affiliate links at no cost to you. The commissions we receive help us pay for web hosting fees, our podcast, products to test, and other costs associated with running this site. Thanks for using our affiliate links and supporting our independent blog!
Reseal Your Wine with Its Original Cork
The cheapest way to reseal your wine is to put the original cork back in the bottle. Before you try to reinsert the original cork, however, be sure to inspect it. A cork that is crumbling or cracked won’t preserve the wine and you may end up with debris in your wine. If your cork is sturdy and intact, congratulations! You now have a free wine stopper! Here’s how to put the cork back in the wine bottle.
The Tilt & Twist Method
Here are the steps for putting the cork back into the bottle when you’ve had enough to drink & want to preserve the remaining wine:
Set the wine bottle on a solid surface, like a table or countertop.
Wipe the cork with a napkin or cloth to remove any debris.
Put the cork into the same position it was in when it came out of the bottle (in other words: the portion that was in the bottle is what is should be going back into the bottle).
Ease the cork into the bottle by tilting the cork so that a portion is inside the bottle and a portion is resting on the lip of the bottle
In one motion, twist and push down on the cork.
With your palm, push the cork about halfway into the bottle.
Voila! Cork re-inserted. Tomorrow’s wine, ready to drink!
The Wax Paper Method
The wax paper method is another creative solution for re-inserting the cork into a wine bottle. This is a good approach if you’ve tried the Tilt and Twist method, but just can’t get the cork back into the bottle. In this method, the wax paper acts as a lubricant. Here’s how it works:
Cut a square of wax paper that will wrap around the bottom of the cork and go partway up the sides.
Wrap the wax paper around the cork (the top of cork will be exposed) and then position the cork over the bottle at an angle (as in the Tilt and Twist method, above).
Holding the bottle firmly on a solid surface, gently press the cork back into the bottle. In this method, try to avoid twisting so as not to tear or wrinkle the wax paper.
If you prefer a visual, here’s a quick video illustrating the wax paper method for re-inserting a wine bottle cork:
Ditch the Cork & Use a Wine Stopper
There will be situations when putting the cork back into the bottle just isn’t an option. Maybe the cork is damaged, or maybe you lost it. In these cases, it’s a good idea to use a simple wine stopper.
This stainless steel wine bottle stopper, which fits neatly over the top of the bottle and expands to prevent oxidation, is a great option:
Use a Wine Preserver System
If you want to save the remaining wine in the bottle for more than a day or two, we recommend a wine-preserving tool like the Repour Wine Saver. With this tool, you can enjoy a bottle of wine over the course of a week or two!
Don’t Open the Bottle of Wine At All
Amazingly, it is actually possible to enjoy a glass of wine without opening the bottle at all. Yes, really!
The Coravin System allows one to aspirate a volume (typically 90 mL) from a wine bottle without removing the cork. As the wine is aspirated, the liquid is displaced by an inert gas. This allows a wine lover to drink a treasured bottle over days or even months. This is probably not a good choice for the casual wine drinker, as it comes at a higher price point. However, if you are in the wine trade and regularly need to sample wines for customers, or if you collect fine wines yourself and want to sample them as they age, this could be a great choice.
The Wine Resealing Wrap-Up
If you’re going to finish your bottle of wine in a day or two and the cork is still intact, use the Tilt and Twist method or the wax paper trick to get that cork back into the bottle.
If the cork is damaged or missing, use a simple stainless steel wine stopper.
If you want to enjoy the wine over the course of a week or two (or don’t want to open the bottle at all!), try a wine preservation system like Repour or Coravin.
And if all this re-sealing the wine bottle business is just too much work, go for the screw-top varieties!
Cheers!