I think we're in agreement re the stopper .. something aint quite right.
Slightly going off topic ... I have always been a hoarder and for years saved all the 'cork' corks after the wine and bottle were recycled, but not necessarily the same way
I amassed quite a number of them and used to use them for a variety of applications. With heavy planters in the garden, if there was no crock available then a few inches of corks would do the trick ... I made a pair of hollow stereo stands, quite tall beasts, but the fact that they were hollow seemed to impact on the sound, so I filled them with cork! Sound was great. Going back to the planters, we've changed the compost over the years, but the cork still lives on! So, Kids. there really is no cork heaven, sorry.