Opened sparkling wine is difficult to store. To prevent loss, there are closures ranging from five to over 400 euros. Matthias Stelzig has tested 21 models. Find out which ones are recommended here.
Over 200 different closures for open champagne bottles can be found on shopping platforms such as amazon.com. On closer inspection, however, almost all of them do nothing more than seal the neck of the bottle to keep the carbon dioxide - more or less - inside. But there are a few exceptions. We put a total of 21 closures through the test. And to get straight to the point: Only a few manufacturers make a real effort - and this also applies to well-known brands.
To find out whether the closures react safely to the overpressure, we placed them on half-full bottles of room-temperature sparkling wine. Once they were given a good shake, six models flew off the neck of the bottle and were out of the running. Our tip: Don't test this at home! The material of some of the closures was also unsuitable: cheap metal sheets bent, plastic cracked and rubber seals leaked.
After passing the preliminary selection, the remaining 15 closures underwent three test cycles with one-third to half-filled bottles. We sealed the bottles for two, three, five and seven days. To create realistic conditions, we chilled the bottles, all Cava Gran Reservas, opened them and left them in the room for two hours. Once they were a third full, we sealed them with the test candidates and placed them in the fridge at around eight degrees. Then came the test: how did the pressure, perlage and flavours develop in the defined time periods?
All candidates managed two days without any problems, not all managed three days, and after five days it was over: Little pressure, hardly any perlage, oxidised aromas. Three days in the fridge without a special closure is normally the quiet death of a sparkling wine bottle. Therefore, enjoyment after this time was the minimum requirement for us to pass. Of the 21 closures tested, however, only four classic stoppers and the two closure systems Zzysh and Coravin remained in the end. They re-pressurise opened bottles with CO2 after opening. Here are the best of our test:
The finely ribbed Line closure is available in aluminium silver and aluminium grey. It looks classy and is easier to hold than expected. A lockable open/close adjustment inspires confidence. This is not disappointed even after three days: the bottle pops open with powerful pressure and impeccable perlage. The flavours are also generally still present. At most, they were a little duller; we missed a few fine floral notes. After four days or more, however, the wine noticeably diminishes and loses its perlage. However, it is still good enough for an aperitif that is not too sophisticated or for a small meal.
Just right for occasional drinkers with aesthetic demands who don't keep their sparkling wine for too long.
List price: 24.90 euros
The Kloveo is "made in Italy" and initially looks frighteningly cheap: at 1.5 millimetres thick, the metal holder is just as thin and flexible as any promotional gift. But the fastener is supposed to be different thanks to a patent: Inventor Walter Fortunato has developed a design that is supposed to squeeze tighter into the neck of the bottle, the greater the pressure applied to it from below. The manufacturer guarantees six bars of pressure, plus a 90-day money-back guarantee and an honest statement: three to five days is the maximum - not the two weeks that other suppliers advertise so boldly.
In our case, the cap was perched on a bottle of the single-varietal 2011 Xarel∙lo-Gran Reserva "X10" from Canals & Munné for less than €2o. An expensive but very good cava. In addition to pressure and carbonic acid, the Kloveo perfectly preserved the complex spectrum of flavours for three days, as well as the tart nuances of the grape variety and the fine nuances of maturity. Fabulous! Then, as with other closures of the same design, the wine began to deteriorate.
Just right for price-conscious, frequent sparkling wine drinkers.
List price: 19.00 euros
A stone champagne cork on a black marble base makes a visual statement. However, we are not looking at one of those flatteringly smooth polished natural stone objects but, according to the French manufacturer Atelier du Vin, "a tribute to the uniqueness that preserves the sparkling soul of sparkling wine". Well said. But now facts must follow. With the silicone seal, the black cap stone can be anchored really firmly in the neck of the bottle. After three days, the bottle even pops a little. The fine cava has lost almost none of its finesse. It may be a touch more oxidised, but you could even say that this has done it good. But even the Parisian noble producer recommends what our test confirms: keep it for three days, no more.
Just right for aesthetes and haptics enthusiasts who think their fine sparkling wine is too good for a tin lid.
List price: 135.00 euros
What does this plastic stopper have to do with Mao Tse-tung? We don't know. We don't normally say a word about such obviously AI-generated brand names because they usually disappear just as quickly as the Great Chairman's opponents once did.
But when you turn the little plastic cap of the MaoTrade, a silicone seal filled with "food-grade silica gel" presses against the glass. Surprisingly, there were hardly any losses after three days. After that, as with the other candidates, the pressure quickly drops. We ran four specimens through the entire test routine in order to rule out a chance hit as far as possible. A victory at a socialist standard price.
Just right for people who just want to have a cap like this in their drawer because they need it from time to time.
Price: 10.99 euros (pack of four caps)
The Coravin is much more than a simple sparkling wine stopper. The device pumps CO2 into the bottle in a controlled manner through a pressure-tight seal. This prevents any loss of perlage. After three days, it delivers one hundred per cent quality, as expected. But the test is not over yet: a bottle of "Gran Vintage 2015" from Pere Ventura, about a third full, waits seven days in the refrigerator door for its second use. The carbonic acid pressure is fully there. The wine is no longer one hundred per cent in top form, but not very far from it either. This is absolutely top class. But so is the price.
Just right for fans of the finest sparkling wine who simply never get their bottle empty.
List price: 449.99 euros
Zzysh is like the little brother of Coravin. Swiss inventor Manfred Jüni attracted attention with it on the German TV show "Die Höhle der Löwen". However, the device never achieved great popularity despite prime TV airtime. The Zzysh is somewhat simpler than the Coravin, but also works with the addition of CO2: it consists of a plastic clip-on cap with a valve. This accommodates the cartridge holder and the CO2 flows from it into the bottle without a seal. The three-day test is no obstacle for it - the pressure and quality of the test cava are at the highest level. After five days, however, the first weaknesses become apparent. After a week in the fridge, however, the Zzysh, like the other closures, is overwhelmed. The cava no longer tastes good. But the Zzysh is available at an affordable price.
Just right for sparkling wine fans who often want to save some leftovers for a few days.
Price: around 80.00 euros
We only found a few bubbles among the many closures on offer. The stylish Peugeot, the workhorse Kloveo, the extremely affordable MaoTrade and the elegant flatterer from L'Atelier du Vin. Three days with almost no loss of quality can be expected from them, after five days it's over. There are only two systems in the professional league where CO2 is added to the bottle before it is sealed. The Zzysh does a good job at a favourable price. The Coravin is the best in every respect. But we don't trust even the finest devices for more than a week. And another tip: don't store the opened bottle in the fridge door. This is because every opening and closing causes the sparkling wine to move, which reduces the perlage.