# New corks



## nhdennis (Aug 18, 2009)

Just preping for the 1st batch -Fermenting


However, George included a 1st bag of corks in the starter kit. Will these be ok in the bag as is for the next 3-4 months before I get to bottling?


or should I get them into the cork humidor as suggested by others?


Will cleaned &amp; sanitized NEW orange Homer bucket due as the outer
container for this as well? 


thanks,


Dennis


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## Bartman (Aug 18, 2009)

I'm working on my 21st batch of wine, about to bottle the 18th, and have never sanitized my corks or done anything with them prior to sticking them in the ol' handy handcorker. I just spoke to Joseph at FVW this past Saturday about whether I should be doing that and whether it is worth the effort. He said he sanitizes them during the week before bottling by putting them in a humidor, but he shrugged about whether it ultimately accomplished much good. It doesn't make the corks significantly easier to get in the bottles and the plastic bags they come in are, for practical purposes, free of wild yeast or germs because they are new bags.

When you think about it, there's really only one part of the cork that needs to be free of germs and yeast - the end that comes in contact with the wine in the bottle. The way I look at it, since only a small fraction of the cork is worth worrying about for contamination purposes, delaying bottling in order to sanitize essentially clean corks is a waste of effort and of a bottling opportunity (which are sometimes rare occasions).

Never had a bottle that was "corked" due to cork contamination, or for any other reason, for that matter.

Bart


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## smokegrub (Aug 18, 2009)

The should be fine in the plastic--that is the way I always store mine.

I give them a rinse in KMeta at the time of corking.


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## grapeman (Aug 18, 2009)

Just keep them in the bag and use them when you are ready. If you has a bag of 100 or 1000, then you could store the remainder in a humidor.


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## Tom (Aug 18, 2009)

The plastic bag is fine for storage. Just before bottling I would get them intoa cork humidor w/ k-meta.

Simple way is to put corks in a strainer over a pot with a lid and some k-meta


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## nursejohn (Aug 18, 2009)

I do mine exactly the way thatTepe described above. Never have had a problem yet


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## Wade E (Aug 18, 2009)

I also agree with Tepe or the Corkidor. I use the corkidor but for the beginner who doesnt need that many corks the strainer system if the bag has been opened for some time meaning that if you opened the bag a few months ago and used some then the S02 that was in the bag keeping them good was depleated and the corks remaining are not truly sanitary .


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## Tom (Aug 18, 2009)

I buy corks by the 1,000. I then transfer them to 100 per ziplock bag. Add a little CO2 and close. When I bottle 60-90 at a time I use the "Corkidor" system. 

LOL on the trademark name Wade!


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## Wade E (Aug 18, 2009)

I think Masta came up with that and it stuck with me. I wish he was still here! Really miss him. He was the authority on most everything and I learned a lot from him. I implore anyone to do a search on posts that he has made and you will learn a lot.


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## hannabarn (Aug 18, 2009)

I use the "corkidor" and I drop them in K Meta solution as I am bottling! Very simple and satisfying to me! To each his own!!


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## Goodfella (Aug 21, 2009)

What happened to Masta?


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## Wade E (Aug 21, 2009)

He quit drinking and spends more time with his family and church.


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## uavwmn (Aug 22, 2009)

Tepe, I am assuming the lid goes over top the strainer?? And the pot with the k-meta is under the strainer for the fumes to get to the corks?


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## Wade E (Aug 22, 2009)

That is right UAV!


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## Tom (Aug 22, 2009)

You got it !


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