advise with mould on corks.

[wino2011]

i have stored my wine over the winter in the garage and due to severe weather iv lost lots of demis,as i store them full of water with a steri tablet in,they have cracked and iv lost 15.

gone to check on the wine stored in racks,and a lot have mould on the corks.

can you buy corks that dont go mouldy?
how can i avoid it?

i am going to sterilise everything in the garage obviously

 

[fifthhorsm]

it's rather common for corks to seep a tiny amount of wine, esp in their first few months in a bottle. it only takes a drop for mold to start. mix up a batch of k-meta just like you'd use to sterilize all other tools etc.... dip the neck in and use a small stiff brush to scrub or wipe it away, then dip again and let it dry.... it's always a good idea to check your bottles once a year or so. never use something like clorine bleach this can penetrate the cork and cause off odors and taste. it's not so much the cork that cause this but the tiny amount of seepage.... even worse in places like england or the southern states here were mold grows everywhere.
mike

 

[Dugger]

It's also common for the lip of the bottle to have some residual wine on it from the bottling process and this can result in mould on the cork area. It's important to make sure the bottles are cleaned well before putting them away. Synthetic corks might be a viable alternative to cork if you are in a typically high humidity area.

 

[closetwine]

It's also common for the lip of the bottle to have some residual wine on it from the bottling process and this can result in mould on the cork area. It's important to make sure the bottles are cleaned well before putting them away. Synthetic corks might be a viable alternative to cork if you are in a typically high humidity area.

I was gonna say you couyld try synthetic, but they have their drawbacks too...

 

[fifthhorsm]

the type of cork doesn't matter. the mold isn't living off the cork but off the wine.
mike

 

[Wade E]

I concur with the above statement BUT inferior natural corks are the biggest problem with this as they are much more pourous and thus have the usual small bleed through which is where this mold begins.

 

[chachi44089]

Thats a lot of broken demijohns $$.. Why do you store them "full" of water and sanitizer? I just put about a cup of k-meta sanitizer and a solid stopper. The vapors will protect the entire inside from contaminants, and no risk of freeze breakage. Then I sanitize again just before use to be sure.

 

[millwright01]

I assume that the corks are showing signs of seepage because the wine froze, or at least turned slushy during the cold snap that froze and broke the demijohns. Does the wine still taste OK? I froze 6 bottles last year accidentally and the next day 3 had pushed the cork out about 1/2 inch and the others just showed some weeping. I drank them right away but thought it didn't taste as good after freezing. Might have been in my head. Good luck.