Wine & Champagne Stoppers

A wine stopper seals an opened bottle so it can be stored and poured again later, which reduces waste on wines sold by the glass. Bar stoppers are designed to be fitted and pulled out quickly, because they are handled repeatedly through a service.

Yes. A champagne stopper clamps onto the lip of the bottle so it can hold the pressure of a sparkling wine and keep the bubbles. A still wine stopper only has to seal the neck against air, so it is usually a simple plug or a pourer with a cap.

A bar stopper needs to seal a standard bottle neck, fit and release with one hand during service, and survive repeated washing. Venues also consider whether the stopper doubles as a pourer, which removes a step when a bottle is used by the glass.

Many bar stoppers fit any bottle with a standard neck, so they are also used behind the bar on spirits, oils, vinegars and syrups. Check the neck diameter of the bottles you actually use, because sparkling and some spirit bottles are shaped differently.

Plan on one stopper for every wine and spirit line sold by the glass, plus spares to cover the wash and breakages. Venues running a large by-the-glass list usually keep stoppers at each service point rather than sharing a single set across the bar.