# Used synthetic corks....not trying to be cheap...



## geek (Jan 8, 2013)

I am getting many bottles from a restaurant near my house, most are liters, the Woodbridge wine, it has synthetic corks and the guy gives me the used corks too and they really look in very good shape and condition, just a tiny hole in one side (not going through the other side).

I am just wondering if not worth the chance or can I re-use them putting the side with the tiny hole inside the bottle.

See the picts.....


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## TonyP (Jan 8, 2013)

Conventional wisdom is to avoid reusing corks in part because they don't have the lateral pressure and elasticity of new corks. There is a gas inside the cork that permeates out over time, resulting in loss of resiliency. Having said that, however, I really can't say loss of resiliency applies to synthetic corks.

To me it's penny wise ...


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## dralarms (Jan 8, 2013)

Try this,

Fill 1 bottle with water, cork it and then trunk it upside down. I tried it and mine leaked.


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## robie (Jan 8, 2013)

No, never reuse a cork. They are too important and too cheap to chance it.


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## Runningwolf (Jan 8, 2013)

You have too much time and money involved to lose it all over a .20 cent cork.


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## Pumpkinman (Jan 8, 2013)

Agreed...don't do it!


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## ibglowin (Jan 8, 2013)

Once a cork is inserted it conforms to the shape of the bottle it was inserted in. It does not return to any sort of "normal" shape when it is pulled out even if it may look that way to the naked eye.

If you reinsert it into another bottle of wine that wine will last at most a week as air will basically just pour into the wine.

How do I know........

I tried it on a few bottles that I carefully pulled the cork, added some tannin then gently recorked. The wine was totally oxidized in very short order.


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## vacuumpumpman (Jan 8, 2013)

It might be tempting, but like others mention - you have too much invested to take the chance


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## geek (Jan 9, 2013)

thanks everyone.


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## JohnT (Jan 9, 2013)

Agree with everyone! Why be so cheap after all of your time and money spent in making a batch of wine. Get a good closure. 

Also, I advise on one of the three main grades of natural cork. Synthetics are OK for short term storage, but are hard to remove from the bottle.


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## Redtrk (Jan 9, 2013)

JohnT said:


> Agree with everyone! Why be so cheap after all of your time and money spent in making a batch of wine. Get a good closure.
> 
> Also, I advise on one of the three main grades of natural cork. Synthetics are OK for short term storage, but are hard to remove from the bottle.



Ditto that!


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## Tom_S (Jan 9, 2013)

Like everyone else said here, never reuse old corks. Even if they don't look like the corkscrew went all the way through, there might be a tiny hole on the inside that you can't see. And as others have pointed out, it's not worth risking a bottle of wine for lack of a new 20 cent cork.


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## winemaker_3352 (Jan 9, 2013)

Agree as well...


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## TonyP (Jan 10, 2013)

TonyP said:


> Conventional wisdom is to avoid reusing corks in part because they don't have the lateral pressure and elasticity of new corks. There is a gas inside the cork that permeates out over time, resulting in loss of resiliency. Having said that, however, I really can't say loss of resiliency applies to synthetic corks.
> 
> To me it's penny wise ...



As many posts suggested, reusing corks is not worthwhile. However, all the data seems to relate to natural corks. Not to suggest it's a good idea, but does anyone know about this issue relative to synthetic corks?


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## grapeman (Jan 10, 2013)

Synthetic corks present the same problems. They retain some of the sahpe of the bottle and when turned upside down, seat even worse. Plus all the other associated problems. Some corkers leave a ridge or slight crease and if you reuse them, you now migh have two which could leak even more likely.


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