Another cork question

[kat50496]

I use 9x1 3/4 premium corks, and do not soak before bottling, but keep them in a corkadore. Question is how long do they stay usable in this environment? Is there a way to tell if they shouldn't be used aside from visible signs of mold? Thanks

 

[Rocky]

Keith, I am not sure what you mean by "premium" corks but if they are agglomerates (i.e. made up of ground cork with a binder) I would look for a deterioration in the binder which will cause the cork to crumble and fail. If they are natural cork, a visual inspection should suffice and you could spritz them with K-meta and dry them off with a paper towel. If you see visual signs of mold, I would recommend pitching them but that is just me. I look at risk/reward in such decisions and a 10 to 15 cent cork vs. a good bottle of wine is an easy decision.

 

[djrockinsteve]

I spray off my nomacorcs a few minutes before bottling with a sulfite solution. Let them drip off a bit.

No need to store good corks in a corkadore for long periods.

 

[corntassel]

I put my corks in a vaccum seal bag then about a week before I am ready to bottle I put the amount of corks I will need + a few extra in the corkadore. After I am through bottling if any are left over I put them back in the vaccum bag pull a vaccum and reseal have not had any cork problems this way. I use a floor corker so no need to soak the corks. So I am definatly a cork soaker!

 

[Runningwolf]

I spray off my nomacorcs a few minutes before bottling with a sulfite solution. Let them drip off a bit.

No need to store good corks in a corkadore for long periods.

Steve I'm a bit confused here. Did you mean there is no need to store Nomacorks in a corkadore. I agree with you on that. NON-Nomacorks do need to be tended to if you have large quanities and keeping them for extended periods of time. Corkadores is one way of doing this to keep them moist and sanitized.

 

[djrockinsteve]

Correct Dan. Nomacorcs are solid and just need sprayed off (sanitized) before bottling. No need for long sanitizing.

All corks should be kept in a cool clean environment. Not sure if long term storage wet or very moist is good for them.