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Hello there! I'm Dr. Vinifera, or "Vinny" for short. Ask me your toughest wine questions, from the technical aspects of winemaking to the fine points of etiquette. I hope you find my answers educational and even amusing. Want to see more of them? Check out my archive. And here are my most Frequently Asked Questions.
Dear Dr. Vinny,
Someone gave me a bottle of Gruner Veltliner and the stopper was made of glass with a rubber seal. No cork, no screwtop, just the glass. Is this type of enclosure unique to Gruner Veltliner?
—Denis L., Novato, Calif.
Dear Denis,
The glass topper—a very elegant stopper that resembles a simple T-shaped decanter top—is not unique to any varietal. I've seen it on wines from all over; in fact, Napa's Whitehall Lane was one of the first wineries to try it out. If you come across a glass topper, you might not know it at first, as they lie underneath the bottle's foil capsule. No special opener is needed, just flick it off. But as much as I like it, no closure is perfect—glass-topped bottles do best standing up, as there are some reports of them leaking while on their side.
—Dr. Vinny
Do you have a question for me? Fire away!
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