# Sanitizing corks



## wineview (Feb 9, 2019)

been reading on this subject on line. Most advice is to soak them in metabisulphite until they give a little. I thought soaking was a no no. I remember reading here about putting them in a colander above a sodium metabisulphite solution. Don’t remember the specifics. Can someone run that by me again? 

Thanks
WV


----------



## sour_grapes (Feb 9, 2019)

Yeah, you pretty much got it. One option is to put some sulfite solution (Na or K) in the bottom of a 5-gallon bucket, put a colander in there, put your corks in the colander, and put a lid on it. Another tactic is to put a tall vessel, like a mason jar, full of sulfite solution in the middle of the bucket, then put the corks around the bottom of the bucket.


----------



## wineview (Feb 9, 2019)

sour_grapes said:


> Yeah, you pretty much got it. One option is to put some sulfite solution (Na or K) in the bottom of a 5-gallon bucket, put a colander in there, put your corks in the colander, and put a lid on it. Another tactic is to put a tall vessel, like a mason jar, full of sulfite solution in the middle of the bucket, then put the corks around the bottom of the bucket.



How long in the sealed bucket?


----------



## dralarms (Feb 9, 2019)

wineview said:


> How long in the sealed bucket?


I store mine in a 5 gallon bucket with a bottle of kmeta. When it’s time to bottle I put however many I need in a colander and using a spray bottle. Spritz lightly with kmeta solution.


----------



## Scooter68 (Feb 9, 2019)

I dip my corks in a Star San solution for about a minute then set them out on a clean paper towel while I fill my bottles. 
Until I do that they stay in the bag they came in.


----------



## Ajmassa (Feb 9, 2019)

wineview said:


> How long in the sealed bucket?



I try to remember to put em in there the day before. But have done less than an hour. I don’t really think it would take too long. Once ya pop the lid, even after a few minutes, your still blasted the strong Kmeta smell. 
Before finding WMT I didn’t do anything, and never had any issue.


----------



## Gandi (Feb 10, 2019)

I throw them in a bucket and wet them in sulfite solution.
As I am setting up I throw them in the bucket and 5 minutes later, as the bottles fill I fish them out, shake them off and pop them in the corker.
Never had a problem


----------



## Cellar Vader (Feb 10, 2019)

A word of caution, speaking from experience, when I first started bottling I would have my corks setting in a large bowl of Kmeta. It didn’t take long to realize that, in doing so, the kmeta was SERIOUSLY corroding my floor corker, right at the point where the cork rests before it is squeazed and forced into the bottle. Rust! And really disheartening to think that each cork sat on rust before it went into each bottle! (Had to disassemble the mechanism and sand & repaint that cork “seat.)
I really regret following the “errant” advice I took about soaking them in Kmeta, all for the sake of sanitation. I have since adopted the “kmeta fuming” option pointed out above to avoid this overlooked pitfall.


----------



## Yeroc (Feb 10, 2019)

When I picked up corks to bottle my Petite Verdot last fall, I was told at the LHBS that they now don’t recommend sanitizing corks with anything. If I recall correctly, the thinking had something to do with the potential for too much moisture in the cork. The idea made me a little nervous. Because I purchase my grapes through the store, and the store owner also runs a crush facility in SoCal, I figured they have knowledge I don’t and followed the advice. 

The wine has been in bottles about 6 months. I’ve only opened one bottle to test and so far, so good.


----------



## bstnh1 (Feb 10, 2019)

I never wet my corks. When you put them in wet, the liquid eventually evaporates and leaves a slight film on the bottle neck that prevents a really good seal. A couple of days or so before bottling day, I place my corks in a small, plastic veggie steamer basket and place the basket in a crockpot that has a half inch of kmeta in it. The corks do not contact the kmeta. I seal the top of the crockpot with saran wrap. I've left them in there for a week and the smell is still plenty potent when uncovered.


----------



## wineview (Feb 10, 2019)

Cellar Vader said:


> A word of caution, speaking from experience, when I first started bottling I would have my corks setting in a large bowl of Kmeta. It didn’t take long to realize that, in doing so, the kmeta was SERIOUSLY corroding my floor corker, right at the point where the cork rests before it is squeazed and forced into the bottle. Rust! And really disheartening to think that each cork sat on rust before it went into each bottle! (Had to disassemble the mechanism and sand & repaint that cork “seat.)
> I really regret following the “errant” advice I took about soaking them in Kmeta, all for the sake of sanitation. I have since adopted the “kmeta fuming” option pointed out above to avoid this overlooked pitfall.



Yes fuming sounds right to me. What is the recommended time to
Leave them in the bucket?


----------



## bstnh1 (Feb 10, 2019)

Cellar Vader said:


> A word of caution, speaking from experience, when I first started bottling I would have my corks setting in a large bowl of Kmeta. It didn’t take long to realize that, in doing so, the kmeta was SERIOUSLY corroding my floor corker, right at the point where the cork rests before it is squeazed and forced into the bottle. Rust! And really disheartening to think that each cork sat on rust before it went into each bottle! (Had to disassemble the mechanism and sand & repaint that cork “seat.)
> I really regret following the “errant” advice I took about soaking them in Kmeta, all for the sake of sanitation. I have since adopted the “kmeta fuming” option pointed out above to avoid this overlooked pitfall.



I wipe that area of my corker with kmeta before I start bottling. But, I wipe it off with clean water when I'm done. Have never seen any sign of rust or corrosion.


----------



## wineview (Feb 10, 2019)

bstnh1 said:


> I wipe that area of my corker with kmeta before I start bottling. But, I wipe it off with clean water when I'm done. Have never seen any sign of rust or corrosion.



The jaws on my Italian floor corker are made of brass.


----------



## cmason1957 (Feb 10, 2019)

wineview said:


> The jaws on my Italian floor corker are made of brass.


The Jaws are made of brass is a very true statement. However, the plate the corks rest on, before the mass squeeze them is just regular metal and kmeta will rust it. Took about two years for me.


----------



## sour_grapes (Feb 10, 2019)

wineview said:


> The jaws on my Italian floor corker are made of brass.



And sulfur bonds strongly with the copper in brass:

(Okay, this is bronze, but same idea


----------



## Ajmassa (Feb 10, 2019)

wineview said:


> Yes fuming sounds right to me. What is the recommended time to
> Leave them in the bucket?




https://www.winemakingtalk.com/index.php?threads/How-much-K-Meta-for-a-corkador?.66421/


----------



## Cellar Vader (Feb 10, 2019)

cmason1957 said:


> The Jaws are made of brass is a very true statement. However, the plate the corks rest on, before the mass squeeze them is just regular metal and kmeta will rust it. Took about two years for me.



Yep!


----------



## Cellar Vader (Feb 10, 2019)

cmason1957 said:


> The Jaws are made of brass is a very true statement. However, the plate the corks rest on, before the mass squeeze them is just regular metal and kmeta will rust it. Took about two years for me.



Yep!


----------



## Chris Pittock (Feb 12, 2019)

I've always wondered about this. When I started 20 years ago, I used to float corks in sodium Meta' and used a saucer to hold them under the fluid. Recently though I just throw them into my VWE solution just before I bottle, which only means they are floating for a few minutes. When I need one, I grab it out and rinse it under the tap before putting it in the corker.

The corks I use now are waxed and the pack says there's no need to soak. They seem to go in quite easily and I've only ever had one force itself out. They don't seem to leak like the older style ones did.

I do rather fancy one of those fancy Italian floor corking machines everyone seems to like. Are they easy to use? I currently have an old wooden thing that I drop the cork into the top and hit the plunger with a wood mallet.


----------



## cmason1957 (Feb 12, 2019)

I didn't take a picture, but I wish I had. Last time I corked something, it was my 5 year old grandson operating the corker. Pretty much by himself. So yes, they are easy to operate.


----------



## Chris Pittock (Feb 13, 2019)

Sounds good. Are there any makes, models or suppliers that people would recommend or that I should stay away from?


----------



## bstnh1 (Feb 13, 2019)

I bought a Portuguese Floor Corker from Labelpeelers.com for about $50 plus shipping. Best price I could find.


----------



## peterseng (Feb 13, 2019)

Chris Pittock said:


> I've always wondered about this. When I started 20 years ago, I used to float corks in sodium Meta' and used a saucer to hold them under the fluid. Recently though I just throw them into my VWE solution just before I bottle, which only means they are floating for a few minutes. When I need one, I grab it out and rinse it under the tap before putting it in the corker.
> 
> The corks I use now are waxed and the pack says there's no need to soak. They seem to go in quite easily and I've only ever had one force itself out. They don't seem to leak like the older style ones did.
> 
> I do rather fancy one of those fancy Italian floor corking machines everyone seems to like. Are they easy to use? I currently have an old wooden thing that I drop the cork into the top and hit the plunger with a wood mallet.


I just recently obtained a floor corker. The first time I used it I was positively giddy with excitement about how easy it was! (Yes, I know I need to get out more, lol). Regarding sanitizing methods for corks, I had been soaking mine in a K-meta solution before corking. Based on the comments above about the corker rusting, I think I'll try the fuming method some had described. Now that I have the wonderful floor corker, I don't want to ruin it!


----------



## cmason1957 (Feb 13, 2019)

Chris Pittock said:


> Sounds good. Are there any makes, models or suppliers that people would recommend or that I should stay away from?



I would go with the blue Italian Floor Corker over the Portuguese model. It is more expensive, but not a horrible cost at about $100. The jaws are made of brass and can be replaced in the Italian, the lever arm is longer (read easier to cork with). And I have used both, they both work and are an improvement over the hand corkers. The Italian is the better long term buy, in my opinion.


----------



## winemaker81 (Feb 13, 2019)

Chris Pittock said:


> I do rather fancy one of those fancy Italian floor corking machines everyone seems to like. Are they easy to use? I currently have an old wooden thing that I drop the cork into the top and hit the plunger with a wood mallet.


Get a floor corker. It's worth it, and the last forever. Mine is 30 years old and works like a champ.

Others have recommended NOT soaking corks for use with floor corkers. I can attest to this, as the base plate is steel and it develops rust.

I keep my corks sealed in the original bag and take 'em out as I need 'em. This is typically what commercial wineries do.


----------



## bstnh1 (Feb 13, 2019)

cmason1957 said:


> I would go with the blue Italian Floor Corker over the Portuguese model. It is more expensive, but not a horrible cost at about $100. The jaws are made of brass and can be replaced in the Italian, the lever arm is longer (read easier to cork with). And I have used both, they both work and are an improvement over the hand corkers. The Italian is the better long term buy, in my opinion.



If you take a look at the Italian corkers ( Ferrari) available on the web, some have the brass jaws but there's also some now with chrome jaws. Not sure if that means they're doing away with the brass or not.


----------



## cmason1957 (Feb 13, 2019)

bstnh1 said:


> If you take a look at the Italian corkers ( Ferrari) available on the web, some have the brass jaws but there's also some now with chrome jaws. Not sure if that means they're doing away with the brass or not.


I hadn't ever seen the chrome jawed one. Of course, I haven't looked for a new one in about four years. Not sure I would buy the chrome Jaws. Maybe others have some experience using one.


----------



## bstnh1 (Feb 13, 2019)

cmason1957 said:


> I hadn't ever seen the chrome jawed one. Of course, I haven't looked for a new one in about four years. Not sure I would buy the chrome Jaws. Maybe others have some experience using one.



It seems to be the same as the one with brass jaws but with chrome plating over the brass. Not sure why you would want that.

https://morewinemaking.com/products/ferrari-floor-corker-chrome-jaws.html


----------



## stickman (Feb 14, 2019)

In the past, brass would typically contain a small amount of lead. I'm not really worried about it as my corks go through the jaws dry. Even with wet corks it probably wasn't a big deal, but there may be more scrutiny these days for equipment with potential food contact.


----------



## Johnd (Feb 14, 2019)

I’ve got the Portuguese style corker, it’s been fine for me for thousands of bottles / corks. When this one dies, now that I’ve got the wine room, I may move to a table mounted corker instead of floor model. It woul make the process a bit smoother, ie:, bottling / corking / labeling all done sitting comfortably at the counter, no stooping to load / unload bottles / corks.


----------



## montanarick (Feb 14, 2019)

Have had the Ferrari Italian corker for couple years now and it works flawlessly. though it was sturdier and better investment than the Portuguese model.

Before I insert corks, I just dip into glass of vodka!


----------



## garymc (Feb 14, 2019)

Never get your corks wet until they're touching the wine in the bottle. I keep a quart spray bottle with k-meta sanitizing solution. I spray the bottom, sides and lid of a 5 gallon bucket with this, put my corks in a colander, put the colander in the bucket and put the lid on it. 10 or 15 minutes of exposure to the sulfite gas is plenty. We call this a Corkidor. No need to rinse anything off the corks, because the only thing that gets on them is the sanitizing gas. One of the members of another winemaking group kept her corks in a bucket with solution for several months. They were moldy when she opened it. Just put them in the bucket with the solution when you start filling bottles and by the time you have a case or two ready to bottle, the corks are ready.


----------



## Thormo (Mar 1, 2019)

Commercial wineries do not soak corks. Corks arrive in sealed bags pre-moistened so there is no need to soak them. If you use corks from a bag that was previously opened then you can use the “corkidor” method to re-hydrate them. It wasn’t mentioned in the last post but cork manufacturers suggest that water at the bottom should be hot enough to generate steam. 

Some cork suppliers will rehydrate corks for you If you are a large enough customer. 

I can attest to soaking corks in warm water before. 5 years later they are the hardest corks to remove from a bottle with a standard corkscrew.


----------

