Abstract: A cork stopper for a wine bottle or the like is coated with, for example, silicone rubber to prevent impurities in the cork from contaminating the contents of the bottle. The coating may be applied by dipping or immersion preferably with ultrasonic agitation to improve penetration of the coating material into the cork pores. Prior to coating, the corks may be soaked in a solvent to leach out taint compounds from the surface of the cork, thereby reducing the likelihood of such compounds concentrating on the coating surface.