Once you open a bottle of vino, the air hits and the oxidation process soon begins—changing the aroma and flavor of the wine. Without resealing the bottle, the wine won’t last longer than a day or so.
If you don’t want to finish an entire bottle of wine in one sitting and prefer enjoying just one glass as you sit and relax for the evening, consider a wine stopper. It can help preserve the flavor for a few extra days. Keep reading to learn more about the features found in the best wine stoppers so you can find the best option for saving your open bottles.
- BEST OVERALL: Haley’s Corker 5-in-1 Wine Aerator, Stopper, Pourer
- BEST BANG FOR THE BUCK: Rabbit Wine and Beverage Bottle Stoppers (Set of 4)
- MOST ELEGANT: Homestia Owl Wine Bottle Stopper Stainless Steel
- BEST FOR CHAMPAGNE: Champagne Stoppers by Kloveo – Patented Seal
- BEST POURER: OXO SteeL Wine Stopper and Pourer
- BEST VACUUM: Ivation Wine Gift Set, Includes Wine Bottle Opener
- BEST PUMP: Vacu Vin Wine Saver Pump with Vacuum Bottle Stoppers
What to Consider When Choosing the Best Wine Stopper
When shopping for the best wine stopper, there are several things to consider, including the type of wine, how you store your wine, and how long it usually takes to finish a bottle. For those who enjoy more than one type of wine, the bottle sizes might differ among flavors and brands, so a versatile wine stopper that fits on different types of bottles may be important. Aesthetics also may be a consideration, as a wine stopper can dress up a table for a dinner party or given as a little gift to a wine connoisseur friend.
Material
Wine stoppers come in a variety of materials, including rubber, silicone, stainless steel, plastic, glass, and cork.
Rubber and silicone wine stoppers create a good flexible seal inside a bottle. Plastic, stainless steel, and glass toppers use rubber and silicone to create the seal. The adjustable ridges of expanding stoppers also use rubber to create the seal. Both rubber and silicone stoppers are offered in decorative designs to add some aesthetic fun to a bottle. These stoppers extend the life of your wine by a day or two. Be sure to select a durable rubber that will not tear easily.
Stainless steel stoppers have a cone-like shape with rubber ridges that create the seal with the bottle. They are the most durable type of wine stoppers, but they only extend the life of your wine by a few days and are not great at keeping the wine’s characteristics of aroma and flavor intact. The tops sometimes have wood or glass ornaments for added style. Some stainless steel stoppers have a lever or clamp to create an extra seal to help prevent leaks. These can be used for champagne bottles and sparkling wine.
Plastic wine stoppers come in a variety of shapes. Some are comical, and some have lights to add a touch of beauty. The design can fit a particular style or be a fun gift for a friend. There also are plastic stoppers that have rubberized ridges for the seal or that come in expanding varieties. Some vacuum sealer wine stoppers and pourer spouts are made with plastic.
Glass stoppers may be beautiful, but they don’t create a very tight seal and only keep your wine good for a day or two. To establish the seal, they use rubber ridges. If you fumble and drop these stoppers, they can easily break.
Cork stoppers are generally made of oak cork and help keep the original taste and aroma of your wine.
Type
There are three main types of wine stoppers: decorative, vacuum, and pourer. Each has a separate functionality when it comes to storing wine, and each preserves the wine differently.
Decorative wine stoppers act like cork-like replacements with the goal of slowing down the oxidation process. They have rubber or silicone ridges to create a seal, but air still makes it into the bottle. For this reason, these stoppers only preserve the life of your wine for a few days. The tops of these stoppers have ornaments that can match your character and taste. They may be silly, pretty, fancy, or quirky.
A vacuum preservation system removes the air from the bottle and extends the life of the wine. Removing the air stops the oxidation process. These stoppers either push or pull the air out and come with a vacuum stopper and pump to remove the air. There are manual pumps and electric pumps. This process can extend the life of your wine for up to a week.
A pourer has a dual purpose: It acts like a cork-like replacement when storing the wine, and also acts like a spout when it’s time to drink the wine. Usually made of plastic or metal, the spout allows for a nice smooth pour, similar to a decanter. It also helps avoid spills, and there’s usually an opening and closing mechanism in the form of a lever. Rubber ridges help create a seal, and they maintain the wine’s flavor for a few days.
Versatility
Not all stoppers will fit into all bottles. Before purchasing a stopper, read the product details. Some manufacturers will list the supported bottle sizes: “Supports all 750-milliliter bottles,” for example. Also, some stoppers fit various bottle styles and sizes. Look at the features to see if the stopper also works on oil, soda, and vinegar bottles. It’s a good bet that if the stopper is versatile enough to work with all these bottles, it will work with various wine bottles, too.
When these details are not provided, the only way to know if a stopper fits a bottle is to buy it and try it. Keep in mind that just because a stopper fits in one or two of your favorite bottles doesn’t mean a stopper will work with every flavor and brand.
Stoppers that come with a lever or clamp also help provide a tighter seal and may work with more bottles than other stoppers. Also, a tight seal allows you to lay a bottle on its side in a rack or a fridge because it helps prevent leaks.
Aesthetic
There are a few reasons to choose an aesthetically pleasing wine stopper. If you’re giving a gift to a wine lover, a unique stopper made out of glass or with a decorative topper is a nice gesture. A decorative stopper adds a touch of art to the table during a dinner party.
Stainless steel stoppers can be sleek and elegant on their own. Some come with wood or crystal toppers to add a little sophistication, while cute plastic toppers can add a little fun. Glass stoppers also are charming, but they’ll let in the most air.
Rubber, plastic, cork, and silicone stoppers are available in various shapes and can show off someone’s personality. There are quirky designs, jokes, artful patterns, and even themes. Some are offered with customized initials, and some come in silly shapes like pickles or bananas. Some even have wine-related sayings like “Wine not?” There are artful pieces, detailed designs, and themed stoppers for the holidays.
Our Top Picks
These top picks are based on the factors and features discussed above and are organized by category. Read on to discover some of the best wine stoppers that can save the flavor of an open wine bottle.
Photo: amazon.com
The Haley’s Corker aerates newly opened wine bottles and filters out cork, the solid sediment that forms at the bottom of a bottle, and the tartrates (wine crystals formed by acid). The only part that makes it into a glass is the delicious wine. And, when outdoors, it protects wine from debris and bugs.
Made of BPA-free, food-safe plastic, each stopper in this two-pack creates an airtight and liquid-tight seal. Bottles can be stored upright or on their side in a rack or in the fridge, and they won’t leak. The stopper also is a pourer and helps control pours to ensure there are no drips. Finally, the stopper acts as a recorker to allow saving the leftover wine for later.
Dishwasher safe and reusable, the stopper fits in natural, synthetic, and glass 750-milliliter and 1.5-liter corked wine bottles. It has no taste or odor, and it’s soft to the touch, easy to manipulate, and durable. Use the stopper in other bottles, too, such as those containing liquors, spirits, coffee syrups, sodas, sparkling waters, cooking oils, and vinegars.
Photo: amazon.com
There’s no need to spend a small fortune to maintain the taste of wine for a few extra days, even if it’s a pricier wine. This four-pack of Rabbit Wine Stoppers includes a burgundy, blue, gray, and black stopper, all with a grip top.
The stoppers have a graduated cone shape that allows them to fit inside a variety of bottle sizes. They provide an airtight seal that helps keep wine tasting fresh and full of flavor. These stoppers can be used in olive oil or vinegar bottles, too.
Dishwasher safe and reusable, these silicone and stainless steel stoppers will not change the flavor of a wine or beverage.
Photo: amazon.com
The Homestia Wine Bottle Stopper has a zinc alloy owl topper, food-grade silicone seal, and a stainless steel bottom. The details in the owl look exquisite and vivid, while the cone’s silicone gasket tightly seals opened bottles of wine.
Designed to fit standard wine bottles, this sculptured stopper also fits champagne and olive oil bottles. During a dinner party, the flat bottom allows it to sit beside the wine bottle for an added touch of decor. In addition to the owl, there is a choice of eight other shapes: elephant, giraffe, lion, mermaid, rhino, black or silver skull, and a rose-gold pineapple.
Photo: amazon.com
The Kloveo Champagne Bottle Stopper comes with a patented WAF seal with an incredible 88-pound-per-square-inch pressure. As the pressure inside the bottle builds, the seal gets tighter to preserve the champagne or sparkling wine. This leak-proof seal means the bottle can be placed on its side in the fridge without worry that it will leak or explode. For best results, the stopper should be placed on the bottle as soon as pouring is complete, and the bottle should go in the fridge or on ice as soon as possible. The cold helps keep the bubbles, and the bottle won’t lose fizziness for up to three to five days.
The stopper has a chrome-plated stainless steel body and hinge construction that makes it durable and long lasting. The stopper fits standard 750-milliliter champagne bottles or sparkling wine bottle necks. It also fits bottles containing Prosecco and Cava, some magnum and 187-milliliter bottles, and many large format beer and cider bottles.
Photo: amazon.com
The OXO SteeL Wine Stopper and Pourer has a dual function: it seals bottles when it’s time for storage and it opens for drip-free pouring when it’s time to indulge. The brushed stainless steel stopper fits corked-topped wine bottles. After opening a bottle, place the stopper inside and use the spout to create an even, consistent wine flow that aerates while it pours.
To seal the bottle, push down on the lever and it’s ready for short-term storage. Simply lift the lever up for another pour. This stopper is dishwasher safe for easy cleanup after use.
Photo: amazon.com
The elegant stainless steel gift set has an electric vacuum preserver and stoppers to help ensure that wine lasts a little longer. The vacuum removes air from an open bottle and seals the bottle with a date-stamped stopper. This set also offers many extras, including a one-touch electric corkscrew remover that can extract up to 30 corks on a full charge and has a see-through window to view the process. These tools can be placed on the LED charging base to keep everything organized. The set includes an aerator for a better taste and pour as well as razor-sharp cutters for foil removal.
Photo: amazon.com
Place the stopper in the bottle, position the pump over the stopper, and lift the handle up and down. When the optimum vacuum in the bottle is reached, there will be a “click” sound. When it’s time to drink wine again, squeeze the top of the stopper to the side until air is heard, and then remove it from the bottle.
Dishwasher safe and reusable, the two included stoppers preserve wine for up to 10 days with the airtight seal. Use the Wine Saver Pump and Stopper with nonsparkling wines.
FAQs About Wine Stoppers
For more information about wine stoppers, consider these answers to some of the most common queries. For other questions, contact the manufacturer.
Q. How long is wine good with a wine stopper?
How long a wine remains good depends on the type of wine stopper. Non-vacuum stoppers do not remove air from the bottle, so there is still air leaking into the bottle when the stopper is in place.
Materials also make a difference. If the goal is to keep a bottle good for only a day or two and aesthetics is the goal, then glass will work. Other cork-replacement stoppers, like stainless steel, plastic, rubber, silicone, and cork, might save the wine for two to three days.
A well-designed champagne stopper can keep champagne or wine good for three to five days, while a vacuum stopper can preserve your wine for up to 10 days.
Q. Can a wine stopper be used for champagne?
If the stopper has a locking feature, then it can be used on a champagne or sparkling wine bottle. But without the lock, the fizz pressure can cause the stopper to pop off, allowing air in and spoiling the bubbly. Better to use a champagne stopper for champagne or sparkling wine.
Q. How long do wine stoppers last?
Wine stoppers can last for years if you take care of them. Yes, some can be placed in the dishwasher, but they might last longer if they’re hand-washed. Some rubber may tear easily and some materials may rust; stoppers made with these materials will not last as long.
Q. What is the advantage of owning a wine stopper?
If a bottle of wine isn’t empty after one sitting and it’s tough to wrestle the cork back in the bottle in order to preserve the wine, a wine stopper is a great solution for saving wine for another day.
