Foil Top vs No Top on Wine Bottles

By Sienna Serrao

Don’t worry! The wines in your shipments that do not have foil tops on the bottles, are perfectly ok.

We have noticed recently that people have become concerned when their wine arrives without a foil top — you know the one you peel away before removing the cork and downing your delicious glass of wine.

Foil is Purely Aesthetic

First of all, we want to assure you that this does not mean something is wrong with your wine, that it has been tampered with, or increase its chances of becoming contaminated or spoiled.

More and more wineries are choosing to refrain from using the foil (known as the “capsule”) that a majority of consumers are used to seeing on the top of wines.

A common misconception is that the foil acts as a seal or closure for the wine. However, it is actually 100% for aesthetics and does not have any effect on the wine inside the bottle.

Why Was Foil Used on Wine Bottles?

The foil was originally invented to keep insects from damaging the cork while the wine was stored. Today, that is thankfully a thing of the past, but the tradition of the capsules remains simply for the presentation of the bottle.

No Foil Lowers Costs and Is Less Wasteful

Now, a growing number of U.S. wineries are opting to go without the foil, which is more environmentally friendly and cost effective.

We know once you try the amazing wines in our wine club shipments that may come without a capsule and the ease at which you can access the cork, you will see for yourself that the foil is not a necessity.

Foil Can Be Damaged During Shipping

On the other hand, there is a slightly different situation we want to address, which is if your wine does have a foil covering, but it appears to be cut or damaged when it arrives.

Although this may alter the pristine look of the wine bottle that everyone loves, it does NOT mean your wine has been tampered with.

Why might your wines foil look like that? Well, sometimes taller than usual wine bottles rub against the box and packaging, which can lead to scuffs, tears, or even look as though it has been cleanly sliced off. However, we can guarantee that no wine shipped from our Gold Medal Wine Club has been tampered with, and it is still 100% safe to consume.

Wine Corks - The Real Guardian of Your Wine Bottles

The most important thing to pay attention to is your wine cork.

As long as the cork does not have wine leaking outside and around it, then the wine is perfectly fine for you to drink. If wine IS leaking or surrounding the cork this could affect your wine.

You see, if wine has the opportunity to leak out of the bottle, then Oxygen has the opportunity to enter the bottle, which can oxidize the wine, making it taste acidic and vinegary. If you notice this has occurred to any of your wines from us, the best thing to do is call us and let us know, so we can make sure this hasn’t happened to any of our other bottles, and get you the fresh, perfect bottle you should have received originally.

We hope you take away from this article that: the foil is purely for aesthetics and not all bottles have them, sometimes foil gets damaged during shipping, but your wine is still perfectly fine, and always check for a dry or leaky cork!

Cheers!