Bottles of wines from Alsace, Burgundy, and similar bottles that have slightly inclined shoulders are measured in centimeters, from the bottom of the cork. The level is defined according to the number of centimeters under the cork. 2cm under the cap, it’s a perfect level. Between 2 and 4 cm under the cap is perfect for a bottle over 20 years. Between 4 and 6 cm under the cap is estimated the correct level for a bottle over 30 years. In case of level less than 6 – 7 cm, it is very possible that the wine is affected, and it is not saleable, except in extreme cases for example for a collector who will not taste the wine.

When the cork loses its tightness, it affects the quality of the wine, so it is necessary to replace the cork. This is a delicate operation that is often handled by the estate that produces the wine. The reconditioning is done by the cellar master, the new cork is marked with the vintage as well as the year of filling (reconditioning). During this operation the cellar master, changes the capsule and the label on which is mentioned RC (reconditioned at the estate).

It is recommended to change the caps every 30 years, which remains the average lifespan.
Domains can offer different levels of repackaging:
1-replacement of the damaged label.
2-the filling with a new cap, a new cap and a new label.
3-the total reconditioning of the bottle, which includes in addition, the upgrading of the bottle by adding wine of the same vintage, in this case, the owner must bring to the estate several bottles of the same vintage, so the cellar master can upgrade the bottles.