Moldy Corks :(

[Coaster]

My second batch of wine was a Johannesburg Riesling (B.G. - before George). It was terrible. So I put a temp controller on my outside (in the garage) 20 f3 freezer and put the batch out there (figured best way to test the set up is to use something I was willing to lose - oh and the kids won't drink this). But the temp swings in Central Texas often cover 30 degs and I would be way above or below the set point quite a bit. It actually has 2 on it now (one on the freezer for cooling and one on a reptile lamp for heating). Now the temp says very close to 56F all the time.
Last night, I decided to brave another bottle to see if time had helped (it has not btw). However, when I took the shrink wrap off there was a little bit of mold growing on the cork (FVW premium corks, 1.75"). There appeared to be no mold beyond the top, nor did it seem to affect the wine (but that's still up for debate as I'm not sure this wine could get much worse). I assume it's from the humidity we've gotten with all the rain and mild temps lately. Guess the freezer wasn't on enough to pull it out.


Should I re-cork the remaining bottles (if they have mold)? Any ideas on how to control the humidity better?Edited by: Coaster

 

[masta]

Can you test the humidity level inside the freezer? Many inexpensive electronic thermometers also display humidity levels. I had this issue a few years back before I built my wine cellar with mold in my fermentation room and on a wine rack and bottles in there. I washed the everything with a bleach solution (1/4-1/2 tsp per gallon) including the tops of the bottles/corks.


I see no need to re-cork and would suggest not shrink wrapping the bottles as this restricts airflow to the cork and traps moisture.

 

[PeterZ]

You probably have high humidity in the freezer, and a little mold. The company I worked for in my chemical days, Buckman Laboratories, makes the #1 fungicide for preventing mold on partially tanned leather. They would build chambers out of old freezers, set up to hold at about 85F and put leather samples in them to evaluate mold growth. They would be evaluated for four weeks.

If you have the opportunity, you might want to empty it out once a year or so and wipe it down good with a solution of 2 - 4 oz bleach/gallon of warm water. Then leave it standing open for a couple of days until the bleach smell dissapates. That will keep the mold under control. The best time to do it is in winter, when the humidity - and mold spore count - is low.

 

[Coaster]

I don't have a humidity tester yet so I'll do the bleach thing this weekend. Thanks guys.