# Synthetic Corks



## rms1 (Oct 30, 2008)

A word of caution on synthetic corks. I purchased some, thinking they would be better than cork corks and wouldn't condemn any trees to death. The first 27, or so I used worked great. It was about 6 months later, I started to bottle and cork my next batch of wine. When I laid the bottles on their side almost all of them leaked. I had to re-position the cork on each bottle. The synthetic corks had gotten stiff over time. I've now gone back to cork corks.


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## Wine4Me (Oct 30, 2008)

{ and wouldn't condemn any trees to death }
I could be wrong here? But I thought they got the cork from the bark & that the trees regrow the bark back????


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## cpfan (Oct 30, 2008)

Wine4Me said:


> { and wouldn't condemn any trees to death }
> I could be wrong here? But I thought they got the cork from the bark & that the trees regrow the bark back????


You would be correct.

Steve


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## Wine Maker (Oct 31, 2008)

I only use synthetic corks and have never experienced problems with them other than the occassional misfire. I am just about through a 1000 count bag. Just currious, is it possible that somehow the inside part that squeezes the cork got damaged?


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## al b (Nov 16, 2008)

I have been using synthetic corks for years now and have gone through tens of thousands of them. I recently ran into a problem of leakage and discovered that it was caused by wear and / or alignment with my corking jaws. These corks are very reliable unless a grove is created along the side of the cork. This creates a channel for wine to leak. Usually it is caused by a sharp edge or gap were the jaws come together.I had to remove and polish the surfaces with a very fine sand paper.


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## joelscott (Mar 21, 2009)

*synthetic corks.*

Okay, so maybe this is a dumb question but I always thought wine was stored on its side to keep corks moist, hence the humidity requirement in cellars etc., so- can bottles of wine with synthetic corks be stored standing up?


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## WildSeedGrrrl (Mar 21, 2009)

joelscott said:


> Okay, so maybe this is a dumb question but I always thought wine was stored on its side to keep corks moist, hence the humidity requirement in cellars etc., so- can bottles of wine with synthetic corks be stored standing up?



I was wondering the same thing and was planning on using synthetic for my meads.

WSG


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## cpfan (Mar 21, 2009)

Although I haven't do it, I understand that synthetic corks can be stored upright.

Steve


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## Conquistadude (Mar 22, 2009)

Today I bought a bottle that was corked with a Wax like cork. This is the first I have seen them, it might just be me and I have never grabbed a brand that used them before. But I didn't see them at my local brew shop. Can anyone give me some info on these?


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## Conquistadude (Mar 22, 2009)

never mind I just opened it, IT was a thick layer of wax, with a small cork under it.


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