We asked wineries if they currently ship "neck-up" or "neck-down". We asked if there were specific reasons for the practice and if there had been any notable problems or benefits from the decision. The results showed an almost even split. 

Twelve of the wineries regularly store and ship neck up. The reasons cited were many, the most common being distinct functional advantages, including: 

• Reduced leakage (12) 
• Improved sealing (7) 
• Better stacking stability (5) 
• Less breakage (3) 
• Easier to pack (2) 
• Less damage to labels (1) 
• Better set time for wax tops (1) 
• Employees morale (1) 

Several of the wineries ship neck-up only for specific customers, namely airlines, chain stores and warehouse clubs. Many wineries ship only their ultra-premium products neck-down and their other products neck-up. No neck-up shipping complaints were reported from any of the wineries who ship product both ways. 

Of the 13 wineries shipping exclusively neck-down, the majority cited concern over the corks drying out. Two other specific concerns were mentioned: 

• Higher TCA incidence (1) 
• Foam markings on bottle neck (1) - red wine only 

TCA IMPACT:

Several wineries tested the effects of storage practices on TCA. Three, all who ship neck-up, found no difference. A fourth winery reported higher TCA incidence in wines stored neck-up. 

CORK RECOVERY TIME:

We asked the wineries that store and ship neck-down how much time elapsed between the time of corking and when the bottles were inverted. Only one winery reported purposefully waiting five to ten minutes to turn their cases neck-down. The other wineries reported that they turn the bottles "immediately" (on most bottling lines that means in about two minutes). 

Most research indicates that optimum cork recovery requires that bottles be left upright for 24 hours after bottling. The Cork Quality Council recommends allowing as much time as possible for natural cork to recover after insertion prior to inverting the cases for storage and shipping. A minimum of 5 minutes should provide adequate recovery time. For many wineries this could be accomplished by adding a couple of sections to the conveyer line. 

SUMMARY:

The survey shows that many wineries are shipping neck-up. Those that do are generally extremely satisfied. A slightly larger number store and ship exclusively neck-down. Nearly all wineries ship their reserve quality wines neck-down or on their side. 

Clearly there are many practical benefits to shipping neck-up. The practice also assures that proper cork recovery time is provided. Most winemakers thought that a wine bottled with a good vacuum and a sound cork should, if stored at reasonable temperature and humidity, retain a good seal for many years. 

There are also some risks. A large winery is likely to have a precise idea exactly where and how long their wine will be stored by the wholesalers. Some wineries cannot so comfortably predict what conditions will develop. Neck-down storage offers a certain level of protection against fluctuations in storage environments. 

Dr. Paula Nieto, director of the Portuguese Cork Institute CTCOR, offers that recovery time is very important. Ideal handling would allow proper recovery time between corking and inverting the bottles. This seems to be a rare occurrence in our survey. Given the choice between the common practice of inverting bottles immediately after bottling, or storage neck-up she emphatically prefers the neck-up position.