# corkscrew broke



## kaluba (Oct 21, 2007)

I just try to open my first bottle of store bought wine. It went in just fine but when i tried to pull it out it broke. I think the metal was softer than the cork haha. AAny sggestions on what to do next? Should try with another corkscrew in the same cork or is it hopeless?


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## grapeman (Oct 21, 2007)

I would just try another corkscrew. I have broken a few over the years and just get another. I shouldn't say anything because now it will break, but 2 years ago my wife got me a Rubbermaid corkscrew at K-Mart(I think), and it works effortlessly every time.


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## Wade E (Oct 21, 2007)

I broke a few of the rabbit ear 1's and will never buy 1 again. They work great when they work but they dont last as long as a cheap one.


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## summersolstice (Oct 22, 2007)

I've broken the "ear" off of a rabbit-ear style corkscrew and that wasn't really surprising. What floored me was another time when I was using the same type of corkscrew the "worm" actually partially straightened (that was one stubborn cork!) and, though you can remove them and I assume you can replace them, I've never found a place that sells only the worm.


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## pkcook (Oct 23, 2007)

Kaluba,


I have returned so many "Rabbit" style openers from Bed, Bath and Beyond that they have a supply of them behind the return counter to save me time



. I finally learned a trick to prevent destroying the cork puller: If you are attempting to open a bottle and the cork seems tight from the beginning, STOP! Remove the puller (screw) and take a knife and insert the pointaround the edge of the cork and gently pry the cork away from the neck all the way around the circumference of thecork. Once I've gone completely around the cork, reinsert the cork puller and the cork will come out. 


I've never had a problem with a commercial wine, but I've broke a ton on George's corks, but I've never had one to leak



. I think soaking the corks in K-Meta before installing can cause this.


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## masta (Oct 23, 2007)

.


pkcook said:


> Kaluba,
> I've never had a problem with a commercial wine, but I've broke a ton on George's corks, but I've never had one to leak
> 
> 
> ...




For the Fine Vine WinesPerfect Agglomerate cork any more than a quick rinse in sanitizing solution is no good and*SOAKING ISTHE WORST THING FOR THE CORK!!!



*When doing this you are removing the coating that not only protects the cork from absorbing liquid but more importantly helps the cork go into the bottle and come out with ease.*Edited by: masta *


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## SB Ranch (Oct 23, 2007)

Here's some more information about corks from the WidgetCo.


Regardless of the cork, storing on side is acceptable practice – the cork (if a natural cork) and the wine usually benefit from this. For screw caps and synthetic corks, I believe during side storage there is little or no benefit to the wine or the closures. Yes - all our corks are sanitized and are safe to use directly from the bag.<?amespace prefix = o ns = "urnchemas-microsoft-comfficeffice" />


Kind Regards,
Jon

The Widget Mfg. Co., Inc.
http://www.widgetco.com


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## kaluba (Oct 25, 2007)

I went ahead and bought a Kitchen-Aid rabbit eared corksrew it worked very well. Thanks Fine Vine Wines discussion Forums


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## pkcook (Oct 27, 2007)

Thanks Masta, 


But originally,I wouldpour a bowl of k-meta and fill all the bottles I planned on corking and then counted out that amount of corks and dump them in and begin corking. After noticing the tightness and finding comments on this forum, I changed to filling the bottles and dipping each individual cork in and out of the solution, shake off the excess, and cork. But even that way, the corks are tight. 


Anything else I can try?



*Edited by: pkcook *


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## Joanie (Oct 27, 2007)

How about using a humidor? No need to even dip them.


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## Wade E (Oct 27, 2007)

PK, are you using a dbl lever hand corker? If so i dont really see any other way as they just dont have the leverage or the capabilities to compress the corks enough to fit into the bottle enough without a little dipping to aid in getting the cork in the bottle. A portugeause floor corker is cheap enough and eliminates this and is why I splurged and am grateful I did as it makes life much easier.


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## masta (Oct 27, 2007)

pkcook said:


> Thanks Masta,
> 
> 
> But originally,I wouldpour a bowl of k-meta and fill all the bottles I planned on corking and then counted out that amount of corks and dump them in and begin corking. After noticing the tightness and finding comments on this forum, I changed to filling the bottles and dipping each individual cork in and out of the solution, shake off the excess, and cork. But even that way, the corks are tight.
> ...




When I first started using George's corks I was using C-Brite as a sanitizer and rinsed the corks in this followed by a water rinse. I then switched to using Na-meta for sanitizing and still rinsed them for a while until switching to a cork humidor. After removing FVW corks from a few hundred bottles the one and only time I have ever had trouble is when I was given a bottle by another winemaker. I don't have any experience using a hand corker since I have never used one but I don't believe this contributes to tight corks.


Installing corks wet does seems to cause issues so if you do rinse let them air dry or pat dry with a clean towel.


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## dfwwino (Oct 27, 2007)

It (soaking on sanitizer) causes problems on Agglomerate corks, but not Altec corks. I have had no problem since I began using the Cork Humidor or inserting them fresh from a newly opened bag.*Edited by: dfwwino *


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## Guest (Nov 18, 2007)

maybe you can use humidor
No need to dip them


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## laneygirl (Nov 18, 2007)

How do Fine Vine WinesPerfect Agglomerate corks compare to Nomacorc, which is a synthetic cork? 


I have soaked those briefly in some sulfite solution just during bottling process and now wonder if perhaps I shouldn't be doing that and start with the humidor approach.


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## Dean (Nov 18, 2007)

The FVW perfect agglomerate look very close to Altec corks. They are made of natural materials (cork). I like Altecs much better than synthetic corks. I've found that synthetic corks are quite sensitive to the jaws on your corker, and if it pinches in a funny way, they never really expand to fill the gaps properly. That doesn't happen with natural corks.

That being said, while your synthetics will not get hard and brittle, they still need to keep sanitized, and a cork humidor is the perfect place for that.


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