Cork Debris

[K&GB]

My first experience corking wine was somewhat humorous. My future son-in-law and I looked at my hand corker for a long time trying to figure out how it worked. Meanwhile, the corks were soaking in sanitizer and we were enjoying a bottle of wine that wasn't quite filled all the way.
Inspired by the wine, I eventually recognized the hand corker as a breech-loaded weapon, and then it all made sense. But I wound up with cork debris floating in almost every bottle. Where did I go wrong?

 

[Wade E]

I have never seen the model that yo are using in the picture but I can tell you now that these hand corkers are not the way to go. Invest in a Floor corker, either Portuguese or even better the Italian. They are worth the money!!!!!!!!

 

[grapeman]

Don't soak the corks that long. It will make them a little too soft and pices can fall off the cork. In the hand corker, just dip, insert and press the cork in. For greater ease and looks of the cork(all in the same depth-flush with bottle top), you can get any of the floor model corkers-either the Portugese with plastic iris or the Italian with brass iris. They compress the cork and insert it with ease. You also don't feel like the bottle will tip over. Some guys have their children work the handle it is so easy!

 

[uavwmn]

K &GB, I personnally don't soak them at all. I have the Portugese hand corker and haven't had any problem with it. And it is like loading a pump action shotgun. lol. Enjoy~

 

[jobe05]

The pieces floating in your bottle is what was in your corker from the last cork. When the steel plunger pushes the cork into the bottle, it sometimes breaks off a small piece of the cork (top of the cork), and it stays in the funnel of your corker. When you insert the next cork, it goes in the bottle first.

Rinse the inside of your corker out, blow it out or wipe it out between corks........... no more floaties.

That happened to me the first time also............. and a few times after that.

I now have an Italian floor corker.