Foil Bottle Caps

[Randy Caparoso]

Foils are basically there to keep the top of the bottles and corks from getty all yucky. Of course, if you age a wine a long time in damp, moldy cellars, it gets yucky anyway. Secondly, it looks good on the bottle.

If it looks loose, it's really not an indication of anything except a sloppy bottling machine. It's what's inside, and the reputation of the producer, that counts more.

But if you feel funny about the way a bottle looks -- like it's been mishandled during transport (especially if there's indications of wine leaking out!) -- then by all means, don't buy it. Look for something cleaner and "safer."