wct@mordor.UUCP (03/29/84)
I certainly agree that lead contamination of wine is unlikely due to lead seals.
Their greatest danger is perhaps leaving them around for small children to chew
on (or dogs perhaps?) and we'll all try to avoid that.
Interestingly, one of my books attributes the first use of lead seals to early
champagne producers. Wine bottles were originally sealed with wax and tar compounds
(like some Armagnac today). Champagne corks were tied in with string (wire was none
to cheap or strong then). Unfortunately, cellars being what they are rats had a
great appetite for wine soaked string. The results are obvious. Lead caps, on the
other hand, kept the rats at bay.
Today of course, a seal helps guarantee that the wine hasn't been tampered with, as
mentioned by a previous author. Alumninum, lead and plastic seen to be the primary
materials in use. Lead is generally more expensive and I suspect it is only used
because many consumers like the richer appearance of lead seals.
BTW, in wine lore--the monk Dom Perignon is usually attributed with the
first use of corks for bottling wine. Previous to corks, stoppers were
made with olive oil soaked hemp twine wound around a wood core--
try that in your cork screw!
Bill Thompson
--
William C. Thompson III (S-1 Project, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory)
U.S. Mail: LLNL, S-1 Project, P.O. Box 5503, L-276, Livermore, Ca., 94550
Phone: (415) 422-0758
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