How To Put A Cork Back In A Wine Bottle - KnowWines

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: