Storing 3L & Larger....

I haven’t seen this topic, so I’m hoping it’s new. I’ve seen a lot of 3L’s that when stored on their side, the pressure from the wine on the cork, eventually starts to push out the cork. Has anyone got any suggestions for how to avoid this, or other ideas that may work? For those that do buy this size & larger, I’m really curious to hear what you think the best way to approach this. I’m considering buying my first 3L bottle, but am scratching my head at how to avoid this problem with long-term storage.

I’ve had one for probably close to 20 years and it is just standing tall.

This is most likely from an irregular cork not fitting as tightly as a standard 750. You could just angle the bottle to keep the cork submerged

The few bottles I have had at that size all had wax over the cork, so no worries about storing on their side. Finding a spot for them was a bigger issue.

What if the bottle is dipped in wax before storing?

  1. Put wax on top of the cork first. Let it dry a bit.
  2. Trim the excess wax around the bottle. Let it sit few more seconds. (Dont skip Steps 1 and 2)
  3. Dip the bottle in to wax. Take it out and let the wax drip off.
  4. Submerge the waxed area in to a cold container of water.

Musar?

I’ve stored large format, 3L up to 9L, bottles on their sides, some for more than 30 years. Maybe I’ve been lucky, but I’ve never encountered a pushed cork or seepage. They have all been Napa or SCM Cabernets or Chardonnays, stored in OWC or styro as they came from the winery, if that makes a difference.

This for me, I still have a dozen 3L - 9L dating back to 97, opened a 97 St Clement Cab 6L last Thanksgiving, that was just singing with many more years to go.

Actually no…an Austrian Sauvignon Blanc.

Are you sure it’s corked versus a crown cap?

Curious what you’re planning to do with an Austrian Sauv Blanc let alone in a 3L?

Folks around here generally seem to believe that the humidity inside the bottles precludes the need to store wine on its side anyway. So store it upright if you like.

Would this work for you? Next time you have champagne, carefully remove the cage and save it to put on the 3L. Might not be pretty but should be effective.

large formats are (aside from sparkling wine) one of the most difficult bottles to cork. This is because most corking is done either by hand (without vacuum) or on equipment that doesnt pull a sufficient vacuum (creating positive pressure inside the bottle). In addition, many instances where i have been brought in to assess an issue, the bottles are overfilled creating even more issue. As the wine changes temperature (most wine is bottled at 56-60 degrees) the wine expands adding to the pressure build up. the wine has to go somewhere and in many circumstances can push the cork slightly or can create seepage between cork and bottleneck interface.

has nothing to do with an “irregular cork”. There are standard cork sizes to fit each size bottle produced.

if there is positive pressure inside the bottle or the bottle is overfilled and has seen any temperature fluctuation, the cork will lift the wax.

True … I’ve seen this happen when I bring a mag of Dunn Howell Mountain, with its very hard wax, out of the cellar. Standing for a few hours at room temp is enough to push the cork and crack the wax.

I’ve never seen a Musar 3L. Do they exist?

If I am recalling correctly, I think Marc Hochar mentioned it during the Zoom Video Online event on WB in late March. He may have been talking about more recent releases though. Contact vinconnect.com who were instrumental in getting Marc and setting this up with Todd. Others may remember more details.

According to wine-searcher they do (for sale) at least back until 2010

When you say ‘a lot’ how many do you mean if you’ve never owned one?