NoSnob
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I have searched past threads for info about leaking corks. Hopefully my description details will assist in prompt answers.
My WE SE Italian Barolo was aged 9 months in a 6 gal carboy before I bottled it yesterday. It is slightly yeasty but is attaining depth and is quite smooth; no fizz and good clarity; no characteristic brick-red margin but tastes very good. (I even drank a glass with eggplant parmesan last night!)
I bottled it into 8 splits and 26 fifths. Corks were from new bag, composite, #9. I sanitized them by placing in water previously boiling but pulled off the heat and allowed them to sit about 30 minutes (no longer boiling) covered by a plate which kept them below the water's surface. BTW: this method was advised by my LHBS. Then I drained them and used them in my Portugese floor corker. The cork level was uniformly just below the very top of the lip of each bottle.
18 hours after bottling & storing upright: Corks in only 2 bottles were just barely elevated (maybe 1/8") so no problem there. None of the splits leaked. 15 of the 26 fifths show some wine stain and 5 of those 15 have the tops of the corks completely covered by wine stain. None are leaking obvious liquid but the tops of some are a bit sticky. Headspace in all the leaking bottles varies from 1/8" to 3/4". I know that it should have been at least 1" but strangely there seems to be no correlation between small headspace and amount of leaking.
1. Is this problem more likely to be that of inadequate headspace or sanitizing method?
2. If I replace the corks in the leaking bottles, should I use a different sanitizing technique?
3. What is the recommended headspace below the bottom of the cork? The WE kit says two fingers width. For me that's 1 1/2", placing it just at the shoulder of these bordeaux bottles, which seems excessive.
Thanks
NS
My WE SE Italian Barolo was aged 9 months in a 6 gal carboy before I bottled it yesterday. It is slightly yeasty but is attaining depth and is quite smooth; no fizz and good clarity; no characteristic brick-red margin but tastes very good. (I even drank a glass with eggplant parmesan last night!)
I bottled it into 8 splits and 26 fifths. Corks were from new bag, composite, #9. I sanitized them by placing in water previously boiling but pulled off the heat and allowed them to sit about 30 minutes (no longer boiling) covered by a plate which kept them below the water's surface. BTW: this method was advised by my LHBS. Then I drained them and used them in my Portugese floor corker. The cork level was uniformly just below the very top of the lip of each bottle.
18 hours after bottling & storing upright: Corks in only 2 bottles were just barely elevated (maybe 1/8") so no problem there. None of the splits leaked. 15 of the 26 fifths show some wine stain and 5 of those 15 have the tops of the corks completely covered by wine stain. None are leaking obvious liquid but the tops of some are a bit sticky. Headspace in all the leaking bottles varies from 1/8" to 3/4". I know that it should have been at least 1" but strangely there seems to be no correlation between small headspace and amount of leaking.
1. Is this problem more likely to be that of inadequate headspace or sanitizing method?
2. If I replace the corks in the leaking bottles, should I use a different sanitizing technique?
3. What is the recommended headspace below the bottom of the cork? The WE kit says two fingers width. For me that's 1 1/2", placing it just at the shoulder of these bordeaux bottles, which seems excessive.
Thanks
NS