After corking some of the corks looks slightly elevated

[artooks]

Hi,

This is my first time in winemaking and I just finished corking, before corking I adjusted the nut on the floor corker
and the corks are flush, so at this point everything seems ok, but some of my corks looks slightly elevated, from
the beginning, what can I do to fix this problem, should I use the floor corker again ?

 

[Johnd]

Either try adjusting the corker to seat them deeper, or you can get a wooden dowel that just barely fits into the bottle and tap them in lightly.

 

[ChuckD]

It’s cosmetic. I would leave them.

 

[Jovimaple]

Make sure you don't fill the bottles too full. That will also cause issues with a cork seating correctly in the bottle. Ask me how I know!

 

[CDrew]

Make sure you don't fill the bottles too full. That will also cause issues with a cork seating correctly in the bottle. Ask me how I know!

That's what it looks like to me. In your first picture you have no ullage (airspace between wine and cork), and since wine is not compressible, either the cork stands proud or the bottle breaks.

 

[winemaker81]

@Jovimaple & @CDrew, good catch.

With Bordeaux bottles, fill the bottle to the bottom of the neck. The filler tubes I've used are exactly the volume that if I fill a bottle to the brim, when I pull the tube out the wine drops to the correct level, regardless of bottle style.

 

[artooks]

That's what it looks like to me. In your first picture you have no ullage (airspace between wine and cork), and since wine is not compressible, either the cork stands proud or the bottle breaks.

Hi,

Actually I left 0.75” airspace between cork and wine but it is not appearent in tbe picture but let me ask you what would be the minimum space between wine and cork ?

 

[mainshipfred]

A rubber mallet works as well as long as you have the bottle on a piece of wood. I don't use agglomerate corks so I don't know if it's the same but natural corks have different densities and go into the bottle differently.

 

[artooks]

Make sure you don't fill the bottles too full. That will also cause issues with a cork seating correctly in the bottle. Ask me how I know!

Did you have exploding bottles

 

[artooks]

A rubber mallet works as well as long as you have the bottle on a piece of wood. I don't use agglomerate corks so I don't know if it's the same but natural corks have different densities and go into the bottle differently.

Mine are also natural corks

 

[mikewatkins727]

@artooks, my technique to solve this is to push the lever down to seat the cork and hold it there for a few seconds. This seems to allow any compressed air to escape through the side.

 

[artooks]

@artooks, my technique to solve this is to push the lever down to seat the cork and hold it there for a few seconds. This seems to allow any compressed air to escape through the side.

Very good technique indeed I will try this next year thanks

 

[Jovimaple]

Did you have exploding bottles

No, just bottles with corks sticking out like in your picture. I am a lot more careful now when bottling.