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Corking half bottles

I have a floor corker and use quite a few half bottles. The corker is designed for 750ml+ bottles and to make it work for the halves I have to use a variety of items (towels, potholders, etc.) under the bottle to make up for the lost height of the bottle. This obviously increases the risk of a bottle flying out of the corker and/or not getting good corking results. Have others run into this problem? If so, how do you cork halves or smaller with the Portuguese floor corker?

Reply to
JJC
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I've put a piece of 2x4 under the bottles with no problems.

Ed

Reply to
Ed Marks

My Italian floor corker has enough travel to the pedestal that half bottles work without any shims at all.

HTH, Mike MTM

JJC wrote:

Reply to
MikeMTM

Do the bottles take standard corks? I'm tempted to bottle part of my next batch in half-size bottles next Summer.

snipped-for-privacy@attbi.com (JJC) wrote:

Reply to
RC

The 375 ml bottles I have use the same corks as 750's.

Ed

Reply to
Ed Marks

I do the same.

I only have problems with the really short 375 ml bottles. The ones shaped like a Bordeaux bottle. The German/Canadian style half bottles work ok without the 2x4.

Andy

Reply to
JEP

Ditto. I used to use a can of water chestnuts as a shim (it was the perfect size), but after several years of pressure exerted by the bottles the top weakened and caved it. It was quite a mess....

Jack Keller, The Winemaking Home Page

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Reply to
Jack Keller

Hmmm --- Now I'm curious - did you then make water chestnut wine?

:)

Reply to
Greg Cook

Hmmm...2x4, water chesnut can. All good ideas.

Try a hockey puck. Available in several team designs . Won't collapse like water chesnuts. Might be tough for some geographically-challenged folks to locate though.

Steve

Reply to
Steve Waller

Greg, the though occurred to me, but my wife put her foot down. Some things, I guess, are sacred.

Jack

Reply to
Jack Keller

I use a flat plastic cap from a 5 gallon carboy, it makes up the distance nicely. I don't know if they make that style anymore though. I'm sure I will be resorting to one of these other methods when it finally snaps in half... :o) Regards, Joe

Reply to
Joe Sallustio

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