# How often have you experienced cork failure?



## Juggernaut (Oct 31, 2013)

I went to a winery recently, and she used nothing but Zorks, because she said 9% of wines go bad do to cork failure.


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## Runningwolf (Oct 31, 2013)

It's time for you to go to a new winery. It is extremely rare to find a cork failure if a winery is using decent corks and a properly functioning corker. I think the corker would be the bigger cause of cork failure of the two.


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## clight385 (Oct 31, 2013)

Wow that is 1 bottle in every case. Ouch!


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## vacuumpumpman (Oct 31, 2013)

Runningwolf said:


> It's time for you to go to a new winery. It is extremely rare to find a cork failure if a winery is using decent corks and a properly functioning corker. I think the corker would be the bigger cause of cork failure of the two.



I agree with Dan ^


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## Tess (Oct 31, 2013)

thats just sad! Where is this winery? Dont say the name just area!!


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## Juggernaut (Oct 31, 2013)

Tess said:


> thats just sad! Where is this winery? Dont say the name just area!!



They were just a hobby farm winery in a small town in Minnesota. Most of the wines they make are from fruits they grow on the property. I actually liked most of the wines. I just thought it was odd that they were using Zorks, so I asked her about it.


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## Tess (Oct 31, 2013)

all I can say is..... I need to get my license so I can sell mine legally!! lol Live and learn. Hopefully they are just young. I wish them the best. How hard is it to get a winery license I ask? Does it very state by state??


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## djrockinsteve (Oct 31, 2013)

I understand its easy just a lot of paper work. 

I use nomacorks. Never had a bad one out of ??3,000???


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## iVivid (Oct 31, 2013)

Hmmm in 10 years and hundreds upon hundreds upon thousands of bottles... Once only


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## vacuumpumpman (Nov 1, 2013)

djrockinsteve said:


> I understand its easy just a lot of paper work.
> 
> I use nomacorks. Never had a bad one out of ??3,000???



I agree that is all I use ! 

I do push the cork down 1/4'' and fill with bottle wax just for security sake


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## jamesngalveston (Nov 1, 2013)

I do have started to use nomacorks, but I dont wax them.
I like that I can store standing up....


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## bkisel (Nov 1, 2013)

From where are you guys buying these nomacorks? I like the idea of being able to store my wine bottles standing up.

Thanks...


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## Geronimo (Nov 1, 2013)

I use Zorks exclusively because


Easy to put on
Easy to take off
Bottles can be stored upright
Not one failure in over 1,000

The down side to Zorks is the 35¢ per bottle premium. However, when you factor in the foils and wax, Zorks are about equal to premium corks.


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## jamesngalveston (Nov 1, 2013)

bkisel, i got mine from amazon....its actually nomocorcs...


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## Juggernaut (Nov 1, 2013)

I thought you don't want a perfect seal. You want some micro-oxygenation to occur?


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## bkisel (Nov 1, 2013)

jamesngalveston said:


> bkisel, i got mine from amazon....its actually nomocorcs...



Thanks, found them on Amazon as you indicated.

Is #9 x 1 1/2" the standard size? At my LHBS I just ask for x number of corks and use what they give/sell me. I've never asked for a specific size.


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## jswordy (Nov 1, 2013)

Aggregates. No failures. I'm up in the thousands now.


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## BigMac (Dec 19, 2013)

Like Jim I use aggregate corks. 
I buy them by the 1000 pack and have never had a problem.
I also believe in micro-oxygenation.
Steve, time for an experiment.
One on its side & one standing up for a year.
One on its side no wax and one standing up waxed.
Then we drink.

Cheers


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## vacuumpumpman (Dec 19, 2013)

BigMac 
I take your challenge !
How many years would you like to go back ? 

I have a killer Frontenac made in 2009 and it is still standing upright


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## GreginND (Dec 20, 2013)

I have been using the bi-disc corks for years. The only failures I've had is if the corker somehow chipped or damaged the cork going in. I've noticed more wineries using the newer glass stoppers. I was skeptical at first but it looks like it's very effective. And you can easily restopper the bottle by hand.


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## JohnT (Dec 20, 2013)

I have been using 100% natural cork. I have not had a single cork fail on me in over 8 years.


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## sour_grapes (Dec 22, 2013)

Just opened a bottle of commercial wine. I am in the habit now of removing the entire capsule, rather than just the end of it. Oddly, the capsule was sort of "glued" to the bottle. Hmmm, strange. Oh, and the end of the cork looks a little funny.... Do I have a problem? Well, I opened the wine, and the cork looks okay. However, yes, I do have a problem. The wine tastes quite oxidized. Still drinkable, but not very pleasant at all. (This is a wine I have had many times before -- I buy it by the case.) By the way, as best I can tell, this is a premium quality natural cork -- not even agglomerated.


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## SouthernChemist (Dec 22, 2013)

Never had a single cork failure in 2+ years. If a winery is having a failure rate of 9%, they should have looked at their particular source of corks or their corking method rather than assume all corks fail at that rate.


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## digitaleye (Dec 29, 2013)

Juggernaut said:


> I went to a winery recently, and she used nothing but Zorks, because she said 9% of wines go bad do to cork failure.


Just for clarity, are you sure they didn't include TCA cork-taint as a type of cork failure? 9% is still astonishingly high but just curious. I use Diam composite corks and have had great luck with them, though I learned that I need to leave the bottle upright for a week or so after bottling so the corks can re-expand fully before storing horizontally.


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## Geronimo (Dec 30, 2013)

If the failure rate was really 9% everyone would have given up on corks as soon as anything else became viable.


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## sour_grapes (Dec 30, 2013)

Studies show that 73.8% of statistics are made up on the spot!


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## cmason1957 (Dec 30, 2013)

sour_grapes said:


> Studies show that 73.8% of statistics are made up on the spot!



Actually that number is 89.73%. I know for a fact.


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## Enologo (Dec 31, 2013)

Anyone out there use tasting corks and can bottles be stored on their sides using them??


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## bstnh1 (Feb 13, 2014)

Enologo said:


> Anyone out there use tasting corks and can bottles be stored on their sides using them??



Tasting corks for storage??? Not a good idea at all. They're ok for a day or two, but anything beyond that requires a high quality cork.


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## Geronimo (Feb 14, 2014)

cmason1957 said:


> Actually that number is 89.73%. I know for a fact.



My brother said it's more like 89.4% and he's a pretty fart smeller.


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## kryptonitewine (Feb 14, 2014)

Geronimo said:


> My brother said it's more like 89.4% and he's a pretty fart smeller.




Whaaaaaaat? 


Spell check get you. Lol. 


Jim


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## bstnh1 (Feb 15, 2014)

sour_grapes said:


> Just opened a bottle of commercial wine. I am in the habit now of removing the entire capsule, rather than just the end of it. Oddly, the capsule was sort of "glued" to the bottle. Hmmm, strange. Oh, and the end of the cork looks a little funny.... Do I have a problem? Well, I opened the wine, and the cork looks okay. However, yes, I do have a problem. The wine tastes quite oxidized. Still drinkable, but not very pleasant at all. (This is a wine I have had many times before -- I buy it by the case.) By the way, as best I can tell, this is a premium quality natural cork -- not even agglomerated.



I opened two bottles of wine (I forget the type) from Sterling and both were bad - tasted and smelled like a bottle of cleaning chemicals. I e-mailed them and they shipped me two replacements. Commercial wine can indeed be bad. I still don't know if it was from cork taint or because someone put engine degreaser in the bottles. lol All I know is that it was horrible stuff. The replacements, by the way, were fine.


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## Geronimo (Feb 15, 2014)

Just to be fair, I use zorks instead. We just like the convenience and 100% success rate. They are a bit spendy at 32¢ each but I don't need a corker, wax, capsules, or a corkscrew. So the extra cost is really minimal, if anything. Besides, I'm no good at soaking the corks.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fuj1aKxET8Y"]SNL Soaking the corks[/ame]


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## jswordy (Feb 20, 2014)

Geronimo said:


> My brother said it's more like 89.4% and he's a pretty fart smeller.





kryptonitewine said:


> Whaaaaaaat?
> 
> 
> Spell check get you. Lol.
> ...



Best post I have seen on here in several weeks!


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## bstnh1 (Mar 8, 2014)

Anyone using Diam II corks? Where do you buy them?


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## grapeman (Mar 8, 2014)

Juggernaut said:


> I went to a winery recently, and she used nothing but Zorks, because she said 9% of wines go bad do to cork failure.


 
*How often have you experienced cork failure?* 

And now that the Cork Soaker skit was finally brought up, in case of cork failure, there is now Viagra and Cialis....................


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## bstnh1 (Mar 9, 2014)

grapeman said:


> *How often have you experienced cork failure?*
> 
> And now that the Cork Soaker skit was finally brought up, in case of cork failure, there is now Viagra and Cialis....................



The problem with corks soaked in Viagra is that they shrink after 4 hours.


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## Avantjour (Dec 16, 2014)

*Cork Failure...*

I'v had four bottles of commercial wines that have had Cork Failure.

So, I checked my Cut Throat / Mustang wine I produced in 1993 for cork failure. 

I found that the wine was moving up the natural corks. I then re corked with Nomacorc. 

Natural cork work great but not for as long as I was keeping them. Lol

These are pics of two of my natural corks that I pulled.


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## garymc (Dec 16, 2014)

Avant, is the wine moving up the cork a necessarily bad thing? 

I have yet to have a cork failure or any wine go bad, knock on wood. However, my oldest wine is only 3 years so far.


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## Avantjour (Dec 16, 2014)

*Cork Failure...*

garymc, 

You are right, it's not necessarily a bad thing. Some wines are helped by being under cork for some time then re corked. 

The four bottles I spoke of that failed, have had most of their wine drained out of the bottles. Fragrant, but messy.

That's why I began looking at my 21 year old wine corks.


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