I bought two of these little wine bottle closures called CapaBunga on a whim. I liked that they were flat, making them easier to fit in the refrigerator door. And they are cheap! I can’t remember exactly what I paid, but you can buy a 2-pack for $7.95 online directly from CapaBunga.

They worked like a charm and I was happy to use them just because they allowed open bottles of wine to fit in my refrigerator door. Then, about a year after my initial purchase, I discovered they are even more useful, making them one of my all time favorite wine “gadgets” –  and I don’t like many.

On St. Patrick’s Day my husband and I decided that we would try a little concoction that calls for Guinness and Champagne. Coming from a large and extended Irish family, I was really surprised that I had not heard of this cocktail before, but I hadn’t. It was a co-worker of my husband’s that enlightened us. It’s a called a Black Velvet. But I digress.

We did not get a chance to put this together until late afternoon on St. Patrick’s Day which left me with a half-empty, open bottle of bubbles – and I really hate to waste anything, especially Champagne.

Since I’m recently retired I thought, you know what? I’ll celebrate Monday with a mimosa for breakfast. I mean why not right? So I put a CapaBunga on it, which I have to disclose is not recommended by the company, but I didn’t know that at the time. I had no expectations about the CapaBunga preserving the wine, but, it allowed the bottle to fit in my fridge, and I just thought it would be fine in the morning with OJ.

I completely forgot about the Champagne on Monday morning. And Tuesday morning.

It wasn’t until Tuesday evening that I remembered the open bottle in the fridge. I pulled it out thinking it was going to be flat …… SURPRISE. This video is Day 3 of this bottle being open and look at those bubbles.

It was at this point that I actually visited the CapaBunga website and discovered that it is in fact meant to save the quality of the wine, mimicking a bung used for barrel sealing. And guess what else? Not only does it solve the too tall bottle issue, you can lay an open bottle on it’s side with the CapaBunga and it won’t leak! I tried it and its true! No leaks.

You know what it’s not recommended for? Champagne! Or any kind of bubbles, but it did a fine job with mine. They actually have a different enclosure for any type of sparkling wine called CapaBubbles. I will probably go ahead and purchase a CapaBubbles at some point, but I have to say this little contraption is 2 pieces. Two TINY pieces and I don’t like the responsibility of having to keep track of tiny things.

I don’t think I’ve ever written about a product before, but I really love CapaBunga. Aside from all of the benefits mentioned above, they also come in different designs and colors with some pretty funny sayings on them – check them all out here. There is also customization available – how awesome is that?