I'm getting ready to cork with Nomacorc for the first time; I'd used regular cork before this. I was wondering if there was any recommendation from the group about any details on prep and insertion using a floor standing corker versus a regular cork. Do I need to consider putting a food grade lubricant on the outside of the Nomacorc to get it to slide in easily, or something along those lines??
--Mike L.
You'll definitely need a floor corker. There's no need to put a lubricant on the outside of the Nomacorc - in fact I think they already have some type of coating on them. As far as getting them inserted I've had mixed success - sometimes they push back out of the bottle - so, the things I've found so far to make it work are:
1) Make sure the inside of the bottle neck is dry so the cork will adhere to it 2) Make sure your wine has low levels of CO2 - if it's released when you fill the bottle it will tend to push out the cork 3) I you're bottling at room temp, make sure your wine is also at room temp or else it will expand as it warms and push out the cork 4) When I insert the cork with my floor corker, I hold the plunger down for a few seconds so the cork can expand and seat itself before I release it.Hope that helps,
Ed
For best results with these synthetic closure with a floor corker follow these steps :
1) Use the chamfered one, they are made for use with home winemaking equipment 2) Use the shorter one, they give almost the same seal effectiveness and create less air compression in the neck of the bottle. ( commercial bottling equipments use vacuum corker with the long synthetic cork. 3) Don't dip them in water or any liquid and not more any lubricant. 4) Adjust your corking level a bit deeper as they tend to bounce back after insertion ( or keep the lever in down position for 2 sec after each insertion )If you respect theses steps it will be very easy to use and will make a perfect seal. The bottle can be put in your wine rack immediately after bottling. They are good for short aging time like 2-3 years. If you lay the bottle in upright position you can expect a bit more like 3-4 years. Why, simply because they will keep the free SO2 better that way probably because of some binding that occur with the composite of the closure and the free So2 in the wine, I'm not sure about that. Nomacork, from recent study are the best synthetic closure on the market and the one I only use after comparison with two other brands.
Séb
I have used them now for a little over a year. No problems at all. I do no special preparation. I just use them out of the bag with a good floor corker. I had heard that they were hard to extract but I have had no problem. But then I do not have any bottles that have set for 4 or 5 years.
Ray
I've had trouble with Nomacorc. I recently bottled 15 bottles, about half with Nomacorc and the rest with Supremecorq. All the Nomacorcs leaked and none of the Supremecorqs did. I used a hand corker, the
3-lever variety with plastic jaws, and it pinched the Nomacorcs. This pinch left a crease and wine leaked from this crease. The Supremecorqs were difficult to insert, but either did not crease or recovered from it. I tried smoothing the jaws on my corker, and managed to get two Nomacorcs to seal.I've heard that the Italian floor corker, the one with the brass jaws, can pinch in the same way, so I'd recommend the Portuguese (nylon jaws) model.
Erroll
I used them for the first time this year. They were easy (?? too easy??) to insert. Within 2-3 days, many of the normacorcs pushed out of the bottle neck by about 1/8 inch. Initially, I thought that it was just a heat change or possibly re-fermentation, but it would be too quick for that. I just hammered them back in, and so far so good.
Frankly, though, I like real corks.
Lee
I mostly use normacorc and have not had any of the trouble others have had. I spray a metabisulfite solution on them before use and insert them wet. My corker is a benchtop that does not use "jaws" to squeeze the cork before insertion...it has a venturi or cone type hole for compression. If your corker might pinch the outside material, I would use another cork type or corker if you end up liking the normacorc. They are hard to remove in most cases. Scott
I bottled about 20 gallons of Chard a few months back and had a few leakers. After some investigation I noticed the leakers had a pinch/slit in the cork. (Nomacorc)
I use a floor corker and have had no problem removing the Nomacorc.
I do have a problem with leaking bottles though.....I have about 15 gallons I'm looking to bottle here soon. I'm not 100% sure what I'm going to use ATM.
Has anyone made any adjustments on there floor corkers to try and resolve the problem?
-Guy
Supremecorqs
Luckily for me, I've got the Portugese model. Thanks, one and all, for the tips.
--Mike L.
Erroll, I have used the Nomacorcs for a couple of years now on about 100 gallons a year. I initially also had a problem with my Porturgese Floor corker leaving a line in the cork. (no leakers though) I Just took a cork and ran it through catching it on the other side in my hand to check where the line was coming from. I then took the jaws and sanded down the pointed edge that was causing the line taking care of the problem. I highly recommend these corks if you can get around this issue for any wine that you are going to consume in the next 2-3 years. Beyond this time I am not as sure of the results although I have heard wineries having promising trials. HTH John Dixon
Hi,
If you have problems with corks or if you want some more information about cork solutions please feel free to contact us.
Spray the corks with metabisulfite solution or water is not the correct solution. If you use good quality corks, and I am not talking about expensive corks, you will not need to spray the corks. Rule nº 1: The correct size of cork to the correct size of bottle.
Best Regards, Henrique Ribeiro
It is good to have some people form the industry looking over our shoulder once in a while. I agree with Henrique. Spraying or dipping in meta is going to do little to sterilize corks. You would have to soak them all the way through and you certainly do not want to do that. Dipping them in hot water for a few minutes is not going to do much as you need to heat something for 10 min. or more to sterilize and that would certainly break down the structure of the cork. Use good, fresh corks and just use them.
Storage is a different mater, if you are going to buy bulk and store them, then you need to store them right. Do not let them dry out and do not keep them wet.
Ray
I had a Portugese corker have plastic irises which seem to wear out. I had a lot of leakers with that slit in the cork. I bought an Italian corker with a brass iris. It solved the problem. Tim
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