Don't Let a Bad Cork Ruin a Great Vintage
You’ve spent months perfecting your wine—fermenting, racking, fining, and aging. Don't let a cheap closure ruin it at the finish line.
We've partnered with Molinas, the largest Italian cork supplier, who has been sustainably harvesting from the cork forests of Sardinia for over 100 years. Their bark matures an additional year, leading to less porous, higher quality corks. Here is exactly how to choose your perfect seal from the Molinas lineup.
The 2-Question Cheat Sheet
Stop overthinking it. Finding the right cork comes down to exactly two questions:
- What are you bottling? (Are we talking still wine, highly carbonated sparkling wine, or premium spirits?)
- How long are you aging it? The goal is perfect balance. Microagglomerated and Colmated corks are brilliant, flawless seals for wine consumed within 1 to 3 years. But if you are cellaring a bold Cab until 2040, you need an Ultra Premium Grade 0.
The Molinas Premium Cork Lineup
Explore our collection of sustainably harvested, TCA-free closures from the premier forests of Italy.
Molinas MP 1N (Grade 1)
The Cellar Choice. Supreme whole natural cork. A phenomenal option for premium bottlings and extended cellaring up to 15 years.
Shop Grade 1 →
Molinas MP 1N (Grade 2 Plus)
The Perfect Balance. Our most frequently recommended, best-selling whole natural cork. Strikes the ideal balance of high quality and approachability.
Shop Grade 2 Plus →
Molinas MP 1N (Grade 4)
Traditional Economy. A solid seal for a steal. Our most economical whole natural cork offering, perfect for traditionalists bottling wines for near-term enjoyment.
Shop Grade 4 →
Molinas SmartCork® (Twin Disc)
The "Goldilocks" Closure. Whole natural cork ends with an agglomerated core. Ensures your wine and corkscrew only touch natural cork bark, leading to less shredding.
Shop SmartCork →
Molinas MP ECO (Colmated)
Imperfection Corrected. Whole natural cork coated with cork dust to fill natural gaps. A beautiful, traditional closure offering remarkable performance at a highly affordable rate.
Shop Colmated →
Molinas EasyCork® (#8 & #9)
The TCA-Free Workhorse. Made from compressed natural cork and a food-grade binder. Provides elastic memory, an optimal seal, and total removal of "cork taint". Perfect for standard wines.
Shop EasyCork →
Molinas MP AGL (Agglomerated)
The Economy Seal. Compressed natural cork pieces held together with a food-grade binder. An excellent, highly affordable option for wines intended for near-term consumption.
Shop Agglomerated →
Molinas MP 2R Champagne
The Heavyweight. Features an agglomerated body with natural cork twin discs on the end to ensure high resistance to mechanical stress from corking machines and carbonation.
Shop Champagne →
Molinas MP TS (T-Cork)
The Bar Top Stopper. Premium whole natural cork stopper with a black plastic head. Genesis steam treated for the reduction of TCA. Perfect for spirits that need to be hand-sealed and reclosed.
Shop T-Corks →
Molinas MP 1N (Grade 0)
The Masterpiece Seal. The absolute best cork we carry. Natural Grade 0 corks reserved strictly for milestone bottles and generation-spanning vintages. Available in standard #9 and oversized formats (3L & 5L).
Shop Grade 0 →Your Corker Hardware Matters
Cork quality gets all the glory, but the hardware you use to insert it is just as critical.
⚠️ Using a standard double-lever hand corker?
Hand corkers do not compress corks as efficiently as floor corkers. If you are using a hand corker, we strongly recommend sizing down to a #8 diameter cork instead of a #9. A #9 may get stuck or fail to insert fully, leaving it protruding from the bottle.
How to choose your size:
Option A (Hand Corkers): Stick to the #8 Molinas EasyCork. It has a slightly smaller 22mm diameter designed specifically for easy insertion by hand.
Option B (Floor Corkers): Upgrade to an Italian Floor Corker. This is the single biggest quality-of-life upgrade you can make. It effortlessly compresses any #9 agglomerated, colmated, or natural cork for a flawless seal.