Corks "bleeding" wine

Cork corks vary from batch to batch and one to the other, a few turn out to be crap, that is why they should always be the best quality you can buy. How long did you soak your corks before using them? The usual soaking time for cork is 24 hours, in a cold sulphite solution, or half an hour in hot water before rinsing them in a sulphite solution. According to one of my winemaking and brewing books, "...the quality of the corks available to the home winemaker is rarely good enough to risk laying a full bottle of wine on its side without fear of the cork giving way sooner or later". One golden rule when bottling non-sparkling wine, is to ensure that all fermentation has stopped before any bottling. Did you do that? I have used plastic corks with shrink-on capsules for a few years now with hardly any problems, worth considering for your future bottling.

Aphodius

----------

"JTM" wrote:

I suspect so. What kind of corks did you use? What size were they? What kind of corker? How full were your bottles? I find my leak rate is very low using number 9 corks and a floor corker. Maybe like only 1 out of

100. This is true for cheap as well as more expensive corks.

I used size 8 corks (real cork) with a 2 Handle Easy Wine Corker (see

It is normal for corks to leak through the center like this?

I suspect so. What kind of corks did you use? What size were they? What kind of corker? How full were your bottles? I find my leak rate is very low using number 9 corks and a floor corker. Maybe like only 1 out of

100. This is true for cheap as well as more expensive corks.

No. I would suggest re-corking the leakers ASAP. Don't wait for them to stop leaking, since the cork's integrity is comprimised. I hate corks myself and wish I could simply start using screwcaps, however all the wine bottles I have aren't screwcap. One day I will change over however.

I don't know about soaking the corks though. I've read many posts here about people who insert them dry.

I don't believe that is true any more. Good quality corks are readily available to the home wine maker. As far as soaking --- I have never soaked or sulfited a cork. I keep them sealed in bags and use them as is. This is how commercial wineries use corks. If the wine contains sulfites, you should not need to sulfite the cork. If you need to moisten them to get the corks pliable for a handcorker, that is one thing, but I would not soak them very long so that they are soggy. The investment in a good floor corker is worth every penny and saves lots of time. Also, number 9 corks form a tighter seal than the number 8. I have been very happy with sandwich type corks that have disks of pure cork on the ends and agglomerated cork in the middle. I would say on average, the disks of cork are pretty smooth without large holes, and seal very well.

Looks like bad corks. You didn't boil them, by any chance?

I also had the supposedly higher quality long corks bleed wine. I never noticed that the bottles in which this occurred tasted any worse, but I made sure to drink those at home. I have just started using plastic corks. I bottled a batch on the weekend, some with some plastic corks with my corker and some with plastic stoppers that I can push in by hand. Not sure how well the stoppers will work.

1) Use a floor corker or brute force with the 2 lever you have (they are useless - upgrade to an $80 corker at 2) Make sure you do not hot soak or boil the corks - they will become too pliable and cannot be relied on for a great seal. 3) I do not use capsules for the fact that they can trap molds, etc. Granted, many are "vented" but I prefer not to hinge the integrity of my corks on the supposed venting ability. I am not inferring, however, that this had anything to do with your leakers.

If you dispensed with cork in favour of plastic, as many commercial European wine producers have been doing, thanks to the insistance from major supermarket chains here in the UK, you wouldn't get leakers or trapped molds under capsules. Capsules are unnecessary but do add a certain 'je ne sais quoi' to many bottles that would otherwise look rather dull.

Aphodius

Um, nope. I'm talking about wine corks. Number 9 corks have a slightly larger diameter and are not tapered. I usually use the #9 sandwich type corks where the center is agglomerated cork and the ends have disks of pure cork. I purchase my from grape and granery.

I purchased my plastic corks while on a trip out of town, and was wondering if anyone knows where in Scarborough or Toronto I can buy plastic corks, as opposed to stoppers. I visited three wine kit stores and none have them. Thanks.