A wine bottle and closure combination, comprising:
- a wine bottle in the general shape and appearance of a wine bottle, and having a neck with a finish and external threads near an upper end,
- a closure for the wine bottle, of size and configuration as to fit together in sealed relationship with the bottle, the closure including
- (a) a plastic closure capsule with a generally horizontal top portion and an integral, elongated and generally cylindrical depending skirt portion having internal threads complementary to the external threads of the bottle such that the closure capsule can be screwed down onto the bottle,
- (b) a sealing gasket positioned below the underside of the generally horizontal top portion of the closure capsule in position to engage the upper edge of the bottle's finish, said gasket being, at least in an annular area over the bottle's finish, not secured fast to the closure capsule,
- (c) the closure capsule having engagement means on a lower side of said top portion, above said annular area of the sealing gasket, for engaging downwardly against the sealing gasket when the closure capsule is screwed down onto the bottle, and
- (d) connection means between the closure capsule and the sealing gasket, for retaining the sealing gasket with the closure capsule while also providing a vertical clearance between the closure capsule and the sealing gasket such that the closure capsule engages downwardly against the sealing gasket when the closure capsule is screwed downwardly on the wine bottle and lifts upwardly on the sealing gasket when the closure capsule is unscrewed upwardly, the vertical clearance providing that for a portion of its rotational and vertical travel in unscrewing from the bottle the closure capsule is capable of rotation independently of the sealing gasket,
- whereby the closure capsule may be screwed onto the wine bottle to press the sealing gasket down against the upper edge of the bottle's finish to tightly and sealingly engage the sealing gasket against the finish without rotation of the sealing gasket on the finish, the closure capsule slipping rotationally relative to the sealing gasket as the closure capsule is tightened down in engagement with the sealing gasket, and whereby, upon opening of the closure, initial unscrewing rotation of the closure capsule is accomplished with the closure capsule slipping relative to the sealing gasket, which initially remains stationary on the bottle's finish as the closure capsule rises through the vertical clearance, then the sealing gasket is engaged upwardly by the closure capsule and is lifted upwardly off the bottle's finish by the closure capsule as the closure capsule is further unscrewed upwardly, thus enabling the closure to be removed without having to rotationally overcome static friction of the gasket with the bottle's finish.