Corks, and other bottle stoppers

[bstnh1]

I agree with @Rocky. Sunday my son & I topped a barrel at his house, which required dividing a 4 liter jug into four 750 ml + one 375 ml bottle after topping the barrel. I used his double-lever corker to cork the topup bottles. I have one that I haven't used in 35 years ... I forgot how much I hate it.

If winemaking is an occasional thing or if you're new and not sure you'll want to do it long term, a double-lever corker is a good cost savings. OTOH, my small batches are 30 bottles and large batches are 100+ bottles, and I'd not do it without a floor corker.

If this is a long term thing for you, follow Rocky's advice and look for a second hand Portuguese corker.

Mine in the blue Italian model, which my son will hand down to his grandchildren (when he has children, which is a future event).

Good advice!! I switched from the double lever corker to the Portuguese floor corker a few years ago and what a huge difference it makes. It sure makes life a lot easier! I bought mine at LabelPeelers who had the best price at the time. But there are better deals out there now.

 

[Sailor323]

Do you absolutely have to have a floor corker with the #9’s or can you use a hand corker?

There's no telling how many 100s of bottles I corked with 1.75" #9s with a butterfly type of hand corker. That was when I was much younger. It was a workout then and absolutely impossible today. Get a floor corker, you will never regret it.

 

[Larsen Cottrell]

Based on the recommendations of many here, I decided to try #9 nomacorks. I have a double lever hand corker. I pushed 3x harder than I do for #8 natural corks, but could only get the cork about 1/3 of the way into the bottle. Getting it back out was a challenge.

The inside diameter of bottle necks varies slightly, so it might work with some bottles. But I won't be using #9s unless and until I get a floor corker.

Do you soak the corks? Usually in sanitizer for a few minutes, those tabletop corkers are hard work, it sounds so simple in the instructions!
Floor corkers are a good investment, almost indestructible

 

[bstnh1]

Do you soak the corks? Usually in sanitizer for a few minutes, those tabletop corkers are hard work, it sounds so simple in the instructions!
Floor corkers are a good investment, almost indestructible

It is better to sanitize corks in a corkador rather than soaking them. I use a crockpot, covered with plastic wrap, with a vegetable steamer inside to hold the corks. About a half inch of k-meta on the bottom.

 

[Rocky]

It is better to sanitize corks in a corkador rather than soaking them. I use a crockpot, coveted with plastic wrap, with a vegetable stemmer inside to hold the corks. About a half inch of k-meta on the bottom.

I do something similar but I use this:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B075RVG7FL/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1

I pour a few ounces of K-meta in the bottom and add the corks to the basket. I can use the spinner feature to shuffle the corks around in the gas. Works great for me.

 

[Anna Nelson]

Maybe a few people could share "best practices" when using #8 natural corks. I mean besides saying "You need to immediately buy a floor corker and get #9 nomacorks"

The floor corker is NICE. I have not tried anything else. I am happy with the investment.

 

[bstnh1]

The floor corker is NICE. I have not tried anything else. I am happy with the investment.

Maybe a few people could share "best practices" when using #8 natural corks. I mean besides saying "You need to immediately buy a floor corker and get #9 nomacorks"

No. 8 corks are simply too small to insure a good seal in most standard 750 ml wine bottles. No 9 regular corks (not nomacorc) will go into a 750 ml bottle with a double lever corker. A floor corker is much better and easier, but a double ever will work.

 

[QuiQuog]

Get a floor corker, you will never regret it.

I haven't regretted it yet.

I have noticed an issue with some corks after opening. On some, a portion of the bottom edge has folded up. I may have mentioned it in the past, only on Nomacorcs. It doesn't seem to be a big deal, but it's something I've only seen with the floor corker. I believe it has to do with the time I tried putting them in dry on some advice I got here. I wanted to try it to reduce rusting on the corker from liquid squeezing out of wet corks.

 

[winemaker81]

I have noticed an issue with some corks after opening. On some, a portion of the bottom edge has folded up. I may have mentioned it in the past, only on Nomacorcs. It doesn't seem to be a big deal, but it's something I've only seen with the floor corker. I believe it has to do with the time I tried putting them in dry on some advice I got here. I wanted to try it to reduce rusting on the corker from liquid squeezing out of wet corks.

I always put the corks in dry and rarely have any problems. Makes sure the bottle is correctly lined up in the corker -- if it's off a bit the cork will deform to fit the situation.

This has me wondering if bottle misalignment is a cause for at least some of the problems folks have posted about.

 

[Rocky]

I haven't regretted it yet.

I have noticed an issue with some corks after opening. On some, a portion of the bottom edge has folded up. I may have mentioned it in the past, only on Nomacorcs. It doesn't seem to be a big deal, but it's something I've only seen with the floor corker. I believe it has to do with the time I tried putting them in dry on some advice I got here. I wanted to try it to reduce rusting on the corker from liquid squeezing out of wet corks.

Would it be possible to post a picture of the corks with the bottom edges folded up? It would seem that there is a problem with your floor corker. These corkers work by having the iris squeeze the cork into a smaller diameter, uniform cylinder. My guess would be that at times the cork somehow extends below the iris so that when the iris squeezes the cork, a small portion of the cork retains a slightly greater diameter. Have you ever changed the iris jaws? Did you buy the floor corker new or used?

 

[bstnh1]

Would it be possible to post a picture of the corks with the bottom edges folded up? It would seem that there is a problem with your floor corker. These corkers work by having the iris squeeze the cork into a smaller diameter, uniform cylinder. My guess would be that at times the cork somehow extends below the iris so that when the iris squeezes the cork, a small portion of the cork retains a slightly greater diameter. Have you ever changed the iris jaws? Did you buy the floor corker new or used?

I see the same issue once in a while with my Portuguese floor corker (bought new) and the 1 1/2" nomacorcs.. Doesn't seem to cause a problem though.

 

[Smoke]

I do something similar but I use this:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B075RVG7FL/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1

I pour a few ounces of K-meta in the bottom and add the corks to the basket. I can use the spinner feature to shuffle the corks around in the gas. Works great for me.

Why k-meta instead of starsan? I notice a lot of paper using kmeta as a sanitizer, what is the ratio/formula for using it in this way?

 

[Rocky]

Why k-meta instead of starsan? I notice a lot of paper using kmeta as a sanitizer, what is the ratio/formula for using it in this way?

I have never used StarSan, which I believe is more for sanitizing equipment, work surface, etc. The reason I use K-meta is that it is not only a contact sanitizer, but also sanitizes by releasing a gas. I don't like my corks to be wet when I bottle, so the gas works for me.

In mixing my K-meta sanitizing solution, I add 3 tablespoons to one gallon of water.

 

[Ohio Bob]

Why k-meta instead of starsan? I notice a lot of paper using kmeta as a sanitizer, what is the ratio/formula for using it in this way?

This is one area where there are 11 perspectives among 10 wine makers.

For a sanitizing solution the concentration is 3TBS per gallon of water. Some let the solution be in contact wit the corks, some only allow gas contact.

Some people don’t even sanitize corks, just open the bag and use them. I used to use an idophor sanitizer for corks, but it got cumbersome/messy. Now I float corks in roughly a few cups of water with roughly 1/2 tsp of Kmeta, I don’t even bother to measure either the water or Kmeta.

 

[Smoke]

Is that what you sterilize all of your equipment with as well? Wine thief, racking supplies, bottles, and storage vessels?

 

[Rocky]

Is that what you sterilize all of your equipment with as well? Wine thief, racking supplies, bottles, and storage vessels?

Not sure if you are asking me, but, yes, I use the K-meta solution which I keep in a gallon jug or in a spray bottle. The other benefit I see from the K-meta is that I can pour a few ounces into a carboy, swish it around and pour it back into the jug. As long as I get a strong smell of the chemical, I continue to use the solution.

 

[Ohio Bob]

Is that what you sterilize all of your equipment with as well? Wine thief, racking supplies, bottles, and storage vessels?

And if you’re asking me, I use idophor sanitizer mixed in water until it’s beer colored, for all equipment, carboys, etc. Everything except corks.

 

[Raptor99]

Continuing the corker discussion...
On Amazon the basic Red Portuguese floor corker is listed with prices ranging from $69.99 to 169.99. I'm not sure what the difference is between them. The look virtually identical in the pictures: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=floor+co...N&sprefix=floor+cork,aps,165&ref=nb_sb_noss_1

Some of them have a black piece of metal beneath the bottle holder like this one: https://www.amazon.com/Wine-Bottle-Floor-Corker-Portuguese/dp/B0007PTG1C/. That black piece is missing in some of them. Can anyone tell me what that bit is for?

They also have a Burgundy Superior Portuguese Floor Corker: https://www.amazon.com/Wine-Corker-CK25-Superior-Portuguese/dp/B002P0SF2I/. It is supposed to be better than the basic red corker. It is 3" taller, which sounds better to me (I am 6' 2"). But I don't know whether it is tall enough to use without bending over. Unlike the red one, this does not appear to have flanges with holes on the ends of the legs for mounting. Does anyone have this one?

 

[Raptor99]

I just saw this on the Label Peeler site:

Floor corkers are free-standing and can be operated while seated.

https://labelpeelers.com/label-peel...nfully-bottling-your-wine-try-a-floor-corker/

Does anyone use their floor corker while seated?

 

[winemaker81]

Does anyone use their floor corker while seated?

My niece has the Portuguese corker (probably the regular one). IME its best use is table top, although sitting should work. It would kill my back to lean over and bottle 30 bottles, much less 100+. Calling it a "floor corker" is a bit of a stretch, although it works quite well.

My Italian is taller and is used standing up. I see the price on this one is about $250 USD, so it's a LOT more expensive than the Portuguese model. I also saw that Ferrari (vendor) is no longer using brass jaws; now it's acetal resin.

If anyone is buying a double-lever cork, you want a model like this one:

https://www.amazon.com/Ferrari-8R-KUTK-YL7E-Double-Lever-Corker/dp/B000FQBBK2

This one has a depth adjustment (nut at top) which the one my son purchased does not.