# first time



## Trubador (Apr 14, 2007)

I'll be corking tonight!!!! Very excited, I've bulk aged a Winexpert Selections series Melot. the wine was made on Dec 15th and I followed all instructions with the kit except that instead of bottling a few months ago, I just left it in the carboy. So it's about 4 months old.

On to the question! I just practiced a few times with water in the bottles and my corker. I seem to end up with about 1/4 to 3/8th of an inch of cork sticking out of the top of the bottle. Is this a problem? I plan to drink the wine over the next 3 months. I am using a double level hand corker.

Thanks,
Jorma


----------



## cpfan (Apr 14, 2007)

I think it would be better if the cork was in the bottle further. Some hand corkers have two adjustment nuts at the top. Check yours.

Alos, you may be filling too full. There should be a gap under the cork.

Steve


----------



## Trubador (Apr 14, 2007)

cpfan said:


> I think it would be better if the cork was in the bottle further. Some hand corkers have two adjustment nuts at the top. Check yours.
> 
> Alos, you may be filling too full. There should be a gap under the cork.
> 
> Steve



no adjustment at top. there is about two inches of headspace beneath thee cork. I'll try with less water.


----------



## Trubador (Apr 14, 2007)

just tried again with the same amount of water, but i pushed the cork in a lot quicker and with much more force and it seated very well, not perfect, a small portion is just barely above top of bottle, but not enough that I think it's a problem.

I guess the secret is to push down quick and hard?


----------



## cpfan (Apr 14, 2007)

Trubador said:


> I guess the secret is to push down quick and hard?


Don't know, I've never used a hand corker.

Steve


----------



## Trubador (Apr 14, 2007)

has anyone ever used a hand corker? If so, any tricks? Secrets? techniques? As far as I can tell, its push quick and hard to get the cork all the way in...
(not x rated, but sounds it


----------



## Caplan (Apr 14, 2007)

Trubador said:


> has anyone ever used a hand corker? If so, any tricks? Secrets? techniques? As far as I can tell, its push quick and hard to get the cork all the way in...
> (not x rated, but sounds it



Have you tried the sanitized string trick?


----------



## Luc (Apr 14, 2007)

Now which corker do you use ??


or 


If you use the second one, take the middle part out, put it on the cork, take a hammer and hammer it down.

If you use the two-handed one and the cork sticks a bit out, take a round piece of wood
that has the same diameter as the cork, and do the same as described in the previous lines.

But be carefull to not hammer it down to much because then the cork will end up in the bottle instead of in the neck.

Thats the way I do it.

Indeed you have to put the cork in in one fluent movement so it goes way down the neck of the bottle.


----------



## Abby (Apr 14, 2007)

> has anyone ever used a hand corker? If so, any tricks? Secrets? techniques? As far as I can tell, its push quick and hard to get the cork all the way in...
> (not x rated, but sounds it



I have - my first batch of wine. Hated it. Absolutely hated it. The best secret and technique I can suggest is: grip the double levered corker firmly in one hand. Proceed to the nearest large body of water. Swing the corker over your head three times and let it fly. Then go directly to your nearest supplier and spend $30.00 or so and get a floor model.


----------



## Trubador (Apr 14, 2007)

OK, I did it!!! 

All my corks ended up just below the top of the bottle...it was all in the motion, I am sure glad I tried it a few times with watr in the bottle prior to the real thing, I had it down pat after just a few tries...

So, now I've got 29 bottles of Merlot, tasted a glass. So, so....good and all, but still not quite as dry as I would like it. Definitely very drinkable right now, but it will now cellar for at least a month before I start drinking them in earnest.

I have the bottles upright currently, how long do I keep them that way until I put them on their sides? I am using Agglomerate corks.

Thanks,
Jorma


----------



## Luc (Apr 15, 2007)

Jorma,

I normally have them standing for about 5 days.
The pressure can settle out in these days, and you will notice
if any corks come popping out  

Then you put them down for a few days (like 3 days) and then
you are sure that you have no leaking corks.

Afther that put on the capsules and labels.

Luc


----------



## Trubador (Apr 15, 2007)

Luc said:


> Jorma,
> 
> I normally have them standing for about 5 days.
> The pressure can settle out in these days, and you will notice
> ...



If a cork does pop out, but just pops out 1/4 inch, 1/2 inch, 3/4 inch or so, should i discard the wine? I assume no sense in pushing it back in b/c I would be fighting pressure and wouldn't win.

By the way, I really, really, appreciate all this advice. This forum has helped me tremendously with my first batch of wine. I hope to make many, many more batches.


----------



## Luc (Apr 15, 2007)

Personally I do not think they will pop out.

But if they do and it is until 3/4 of an inch (That is about 1 finger thick)
I just hammer them down.

If the wine is finished and degassed no corks will pop out  

Luc


----------



## Trubador (Apr 18, 2007)

I am worried now that I left too much headspace in the bottles. There is between 1.5 and 3 inches of space between cork and wine depending on which bottle I choose.

I only added the sulfites that the kit came with , I did not add any additional, now I am thinking I should have if I wanted to age a few of the bottles.

Any opinions on the bottles with 3 inches of headspace? Will that be enough to make noticable oxidation? Should I drink these earlier than the 1.5 inch headspace bottles?


----------



## fun4stuff (Apr 24, 2007)

Caplan said:


> Have you tried the sanitized string trick?



what is this trick?


----------



## lockwood1956 (May 3, 2007)

trubador said:


> I have the bottles upright currently, how long do I keep them that way until I put them on their sides? I am using Agglomerate corks.


about three to five days...

regards
bob


----------



## lockwood1956 (May 3, 2007)

Trubador said:


> Any opinions on the bottles with 3 inches of headspace? Will that be enough to make noticable oxidation? Should I drink these earlier than the 1.5 inch headspace bottles?



either re-bottle or drink them very very early...three inches is a heck of a lot of headspace, in fact 1 1/2 inches is a lot of headspace, i normally shoot for about 1/2 to 3/4 inch

regards
Bob


----------

