# Cork leaking



## MoneyGuy (Jul 2, 2010)

One of my bottles I just corked is leaking a couple of drops of wine from around the cork. Advice? I suppose I could just open that bottle and drink it. There is a small amount of cork sticking out of the bottle. Maybe too much head room.


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## BettyJ (Jul 2, 2010)

What type of corker are you using? You also may have excess gas / renewed fermentation in the wine, which is pushing the cork out. Did you back-sweeten the wine? If so, did you use sorbate?

Using shrink wrap toppers will help to secure the cork. But I usually don't apply or turn my wine over for 3 - 5 days to make sure the corks don't pop (can you say messy?).

At this point, you can try uncorking the wine, tasting it (for carbonation), perhaps top up with a little water or like wine and re-cork if you want to age it further.

Just a note about the corker: I used the hand corker model initially and could never get the corks all the way in (although they rarely ever popped out for this reason). I splurged on the Portugese (sp?) floor model and it is a beautiful thing - just love it!

Good Luck!


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## Tom (Jul 2, 2010)

MoneyGuy said:


> One of my bottles I just corked is leaking a couple of drops of wine from around the cork. Advice? I suppose I could just open that bottle and drink it. There is a small amount of cork sticking out of the bottle. Maybe too much head room.


I'm betting you did not let them sit upright after they were corked. Leave it upright for a day or 2. 
Was it a real cork or synthetic?


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## djrockinsteve (Jul 2, 2010)

Real corks may leak slightly within a few days that's why you should leave your bottles upright (as Tom said) for a week before shelfing. Normacorc's can be shelfed right away.


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## Runningwolf (Jul 2, 2010)

DJ..keep those signitures coming, they're funny as all get out. I agree with what Tom and DJ said and I would drink that bottle ASAP.


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## MoneyGuy (Jul 2, 2010)

Some answers: Yes, I did have the bottles sit upright (for five days). I use a floor-model corker. It doesn't have a name on it but it's Portugese-made, about two feet high to the bottom of the handle, and the handle is about another foot-plus so another three feet high or so. All of the corks protrude from the bottle by about three-8ths of an inch. None of the others are leaking yet, but I have noticed there are some very small bubbles in most of the bottles; is this a sign of fermentation happening? I did follow the directions correctly for leaving it to de-gas, in fact left it longer than the directions indicated. All of the bottles are on their side now. 

I didn't sweeten the wine. The bottles are not shrink wrapped. I used real corks, not synthetic ones. 

Advice, anyone?


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## Tom (Jul 2, 2010)

If they were not pushed in all the way then you need to adjust the plunger. If you did have them in all the way then uncork and let it fininh fermenting. Did you degas? Remind us what you did up to this point from the begining.


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## MoneyGuy (Jul 2, 2010)

Yes, I did degas. It was racked twice and sulfite used. It was stirred as directed. Maybe I'll have to uncork all the bottles, stir a bit more and recork?


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## Tom (Jul 2, 2010)

is it "fizzy"?


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## MoneyGuy (Jul 2, 2010)

Not sure what you mean by fizzy. There are no fizzing sounds. In addition to the large air bubble there are little bubbles, however.


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## Tom (Jul 2, 2010)

Taste it and see if it taste like its low carbonated. If you see small bubbles it could be fermentation or its gassy. Either way it will push the corks out or explode.


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## ffemt128 (Jul 2, 2010)

Does it taste fizzy? You may have to adjust the plunger on your corker or you may not have had enough headspace. 

I've had a cork push out when I used a funnel to fill from a 1/2 gallon jug didn't have proper headspace.


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## MoneyGuy (Jul 2, 2010)

Tom said:


> Taste it and see if it taste like its low carbonated. If you see small bubbles it could be fermentation or its gassy. Either way it will push the corks out or explode.



Explode? Ouch, that doesn't sound good.  I'll taste it over the weekend and will report back. Not sure what low carbonated tastes like. IF I recork can I use the same corks?


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## Wade E (Jul 2, 2010)

I would not use the same corks. You either need to adjust the plunger on your corker and if thats the case you dont need to take those corks out, just adjust the plunger and push them in farther. If thats no the case then you may noy have left enough room for the corks, there should be about 1 1/2" under the cork iof it were all the way in. Carbonated will tingl on your tongue like a soda does.


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## MoneyGuy (Jul 4, 2010)

I'm sampling the wine right now. It's mediocre and reminds me of a wine I made a couple of years ago, which was just okay but after a few months of aging it was far better. There is no carbonated taste. There is very little head space in the bottle, which I now realize was a mistake (I'm fairly new at this). I may have to rebottle it after further degassing or maybe the fermentation is still going on a little. I did follow all the directions to the letter, in face left it longer than was called for before bottling it. 

Advice please.


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