It is a kind of security seal, the guarantee that it is a virgin wine, without filling or adulterating. It wraps the upper part of the neck of the bottle, from the mouth to the chicken, that projection of the glass that previously served to secure the cap now ensures these thin membranes of different textures and colors called capsules, which are part of the distinctive props of the bottle of wine. What was born to avoid any doubt about the content and step to collaborate to the isolation of the cork, happened over time to be a classic aesthetic component of the bottle and the sealing of a principle, with its indisputable romantic touch but difficult to remove and quite dirty, which can also transmit smell and taste in the wine, was used for lead, aluminum, tin or plastic. Lead has long been the irreplaceable material of the capsule, until the discovery of its negative effects on human health ruined this material that, little by little, has been displaced by tin, plastic and even the paper.
The collar is a more aesthetic than functional complement, which accompanies some bottles, generally the Rhin type. It is attached to the neck and also serves to complete the information of the labels, usually the year of harvest, the type of wine, and other annotations that offer the producer the possibility of using the same model of label for the entire range of their wines , just playing with different collars.
The basket, although it was created as a practical tool, the truth is that today has been relegated to a more decorative element than anything else. The most usual version consists of a kind of basket where the bottle is deposited in such a way that it is semi-recumbent, with the objective that the grounds decant in the bottom and do not move when serving.
Originally it was thought so that the old wines rest in the same position they have had in the cellar and prevent the dispersion of the dregs. They are manufactured in bright wicker and metal models and in plastic. There is a newer model that has nothing to do with the previous one, except for its objective, which adjusts the bottle with a screw and which is more practical. Undoubtedly, when a wine has grounds, it is necessary to fill it with decanting and leave the basket as an ornament for good food.
