Corkers

[TheGoodLife]

Can I use #9 corks with a double lever wine corker, or should I stick with #8's?

Mark

 

[Jwatson]

I recommend you buy a Portuguese corker and use #9 corks (I use Altec corks). It is well worth the small investment, $50-$60.

 

[Runningwolf]

I recommend you buy a Portuguese corker and use #9 corks (I use Altec corks). It is well worth the small investment, $50-$60.

I believe he means a floor corker not hand held. If you can get a #9 in, go for it.

 

[TheGoodLife]

I know I need to get a floor corker, but it's so hard to spend the money on that instead of buying another carboy.

 

[Poni]

The floor corker rocks man, i had no idea how awesome it was until i got one. That double lever thing is nothing compared to the floor corker, you'll see. But i know what ya mean about the decision to buy a carboy or corker. I just happened to help a friend with a job and got some extra cash and went straight to the wine store to the get the corker, otherwise i would have done something stupid with the money

 

[robie]

I used to use #9 corks with my double handled - hand corker. Just have to get the stroke down steady and hard, in one smooth motion. I had gotten pretty good with that hand corker before I finally got my floor corker.

 

[Brian]

You can use a #9 cork with a hand corker I have done it for a long time until I bought a floor corker. The only thing is it will probabbly leave a dimple in the cork but if you use shrink caps no one will ever see it.

 

[Jwatson]

I just bottled MM Meglioli Amarone after 1 year in bulk age. The wine still needs more time. For this wine batch, I pressed the corks a little below the lip of the bottle and used sealing wax instead of shrink foils. Most online wine/homebrew stores carry sealing wax

 

[Mcamnl]

I use #9-1.75" corks and have had no problems in my double lever corker.
I got a floor corker for Christmas and love it.

 

[TheGoodLife]

Thanks for all the advice. I'm going to go with the #9 corks and wait till I get a couple more carboys before I get the floor corker.

Mark

 

[desquared]

I was able to get my #9 corks in the 37 bottles (24 - 750s, 13 -375s) from my first batch with my double handle corker without any issues.

 

[Brent2489]

Once you upgrade to a floor corker you will wonder how you ever managed to bottle with that horrible 2 handled contraption!!

 

[Arne]

If you were a little closer, you could use my floor corker, but by the time you made the trip back and forth, you could probably have a pretty decent down payment on your own with the gas money. Arne.

 

[Brew and Wine Supply]

Unless you are aging 3+ years you can use 8's, they are designed for 1 to 2 years. for less than 1 year use tasting corks. 9's are for 3+ years.
That said, there is nothing wrong with using 9's for less time, or 8's for longer if you keep an eye on them. Then there is the guy with a 12 year old wine with a tasting cork in it....
BTW Floor corkers are the cats meow!!

 

[TheGoodLife]

Good to know. I'm sure these first batches won't be around for anywhere near the 2 year mark.

I'm not sure what corks came with the wine making kit, but I assume they were #8's because they went in fairly easy.

Thanks for the offer Arne... I was just told today that I have unlimited overtime till we get caught up at work, so that floor corker will be coming very soon!

Mark

 

[robie]

Thanks for all the advice. I'm going to go with the #9 corks and wait till I get a couple more carboys before I get the floor corker.

Mark

That's the smart way to buy. Prioritize everything you need and buy it as you can.

That's what I had to do. I now have quite a bit of money in my wine making equipment (relative speaking of course). I had to buy it over about 2 years to finally get what I really want.

For a home wine maker, I have 5 or 6 fermentor buckets of various sizes, 15 or 16 carboys of several sizes, a vacuum pump with great bottling system, and a very nice floor corker. I bought the floor corker fairly soon after I started, but that was because I met a guy who wanted to get rid of all his wine making equipment and made me a great deal.

I would still like to have a nitrogen sparger system and argon tank/regulator for temporary topping off. Oh, and I really want to get a grape press before Fall, but that is a long shot.