Cork Frustration

[DavesWine]

I really want to use a 1 3/4" cork, either Nomacorc or Diam would be great, but I'd like them to be chamfered. Unless you're commercial winery or you just make a lot of wine, buying in bags of 1000 just isn't practical. It seems like the industry doesn't care about home wine makers and they relegate you to just the shorter cork.
I've looked at the Diam 5, and the Select Green 900, but only found in 1000 ct.

Does ANYONE know where I can find better corks in smaller quantities???

 

[Rocky]

I really want to use a 1 3/4" cork, either Nomacorc or Diam would be great, but I'd like them to be chamfered. Unless you're commercial winery or you just make a lot of wine, buying in bags of 1000 just isn't practical. It seems like the industry doesn't care about home wine makers and they relegate you to just the shorter cork.
I've looked at the Diam 5, and the Select Green 900, but only found in 1000 ct.

Does ANYONE know where I can find better corks in smaller quantities???

Dave, Carolina Wine Supply sells bags of 50 Nomacorc 900's for $15, or $.30 each. Seems like a lot per cork. I buy bags of 1000 for about $.165 each. How many are you looking to buy?

https://carolinawinesupply.com/search?q=corks&options[prefix]=last

Here is another supplier. The corks appear to be chamfered but are only 1.5" long.

https://www.grapeandgranary.com/nomacorc-polymer-9-x-15-straight.html

 

[winemaker81]

The unhappy fact is that home winemakers are not a paying market for cork vendors. Vendors sell in 1,000 count bags to wineries, and I'll hazard a guess that 10,000 count orders are common. It takes 400 home winemakers ordering 25 count bags to equal that. Home winemakers are too much effort for too little return.

Try morewinemaking.com -- they have a variety of corks in small packages.

Also try Grape & Granary, as in the past they've shown a willingness to stock items in home winemaker-sized packages. If they don't have what you want, they may be willing to do it.

If either works out, post here and give whoever the free advertising. Your fellow winemakers may benefit and so will the LHBS.

Another thought is to locate winemakers near you and do a group buy on a large bag.

 

[DavesWine]

Dave, Carolina Wine Supply sells bags of 50 Nomacorc 900's for $15, or $.30 each. Seems like a lot per cork. I buy bags of 1000 for about $.165 each. How many are you looking to buy?

https://carolinawinesupply.com/search?q=corks&options[prefix]=last

Here is another supplier. The corks appear to be chamfered but are only 1.5" long.

https://www.grapeandgranary.com/nomacorc-polymer-9-x-15-straight.html

I've been on Carolina Wine Supply, I don't think the small bags are their Select cork, just the same as the 1 1/2" you find everywhere, just longer. I might try what @winemaker81 said and see if they are willing to package smaller on some corks.

 

[Hazelemere]

 

[BarrelMonkey]

As @winemaker81 says, morewinemaking.com has a good selection of various quality corks. I have used their 1 3/4 grade 3 corks, but more recently they've introduced a range of grade 1 corks that are even less expensive.

 

[cmason1957]

Another cork that I have used quite successfully for at lest three years, possibly longer are these: https://morewinemaking.com/products/wine-corks-1-34-acquamark.html

at $0.20 US each, I find them very good. I buy 200-300 at a time, keep them in the bags they come in, out of the light until I need to use them.

 

[DavesWine]

These corks aren’t getting very good reviews, and not just with More Wine.
I like the concept how they’re made but not sure. Thanks for sharing that.

 

[Mekpdue]

Also try Grape & Granary,

I’ve been doing business with John and Kathy for a few years and I’m sure they would entertain the thought. 800-695-9870.

 

[winemaker81]

I’ve been doing business with John and Kathy for a few years and I’m sure they would entertain the thought. 800-695-9870.

@VinesnBines & I purchased maceration enzymes in small bottles from them last fall. They are high on my list of places to do business, although I focus most of my purchased on my LHBS.

 

[Jim Welch]

I’m going to mix my metaphors and say, bite the bullet, buy 1000 and cry once! They won’t go bad if stored properly.

 

[DavesWine]

I’m going to mix my metaphors and say, bite the bullet, buy 1000 and cry once! They won’t go bad if stored properly.

I've considered it, but 1000 would take me over 8 years with the amount I make every year now.

 

[DavesWine]

I’ve been doing business with John and Kathy for a few years and I’m sure they would entertain the thought. 800-695-9870.

I'll give them a call. I like finding good places to do business.

 

[Jovimaple]

I've considered it, but 1000 would take me over 8 years with the amount I make every year now.

Obviously the answer is to make more wine!

You did realize we are all enablers here, didn't you???

 

[distancerunner]

We buy 1000 at a time from Waterloo Container. They've been very reliable.

We make 100+ gallons a year. That's enough corks for a couple of years.

As long as we don't make mead.

Or we don't have projects that we're sitting on.

Or we don't buy Chilean grapes in the spring.

Seriously, find a couple of local winemakers to split the quantity to something reasonable for all of you.

 

[Nebbiolo020]

The unhappy fact is that home winemakers are not a paying market for cork vendors. Vendors sell in 1,000 count bags to wineries, and I'll hazard a guess that 10,000 count orders are common. It takes 400 home winemakers ordering 25 count bags to equal that. Home winemakers are too much effort for too little return.

Try morewinemaking.com -- they have a variety of corks in small packages.

Also try Grape & Granary, as in the past they've shown a willingness to stock items in home winemaker-sized packages. If they don't have what you want, they may be willing to do it.

If either works out, post here and give whoever the free advertising. Your fellow winemakers may benefit and so will the LHBS.

Another thought is to locate winemakers near you and do a group buy on a large bag.

I am lucky enough to live in an area where the local shop that caters to home winemakers gets corks from a winery who always sells them the extra corks they end up with usually a few thousand at cost.

I get mine in bulk and cheaper because I’m industry I buy from companies that won’t sell at all unless you have an account and are industry.

 

[BarrelMonkey]

As @winemaker81 says, morewinemaking.com has a good selection of various quality corks. I have used their 1 3/4 grade 3 corks, but more recently they've introduced a range of grade 1 corks that are even less expensive.

I think I have to update this based on recent experience.

I estimate that I have opened at most 50 bottles of my 2021 pinot noir, which was bottled using the corks mentioned above (1 3/4" grade 3). On 2 occasions the wine was corked. I was willing to assume that the first one was just bad luck, but now after the second bad bottle I am questioning whether these corks are not as good as I hoped.

 

[Rocky]

I think I have to update this based on recent experience.

I estimate that I have opened at most 50 bottles of my 2021 pinot noir, which was bottled using the corks mentioned above (1 3/4" grade 3). On 2 occasions the wine was corked. I was willing to assume that the first one was just bad luck, but now after the second bad bottle I am questioning whether these corks are not as good as I hoped.

Were the corks fresh when you inserted them, i.e. was it a new bag or had it sat for some time in your wine area? Do you recall whether or not you sanitized the corks in any way before insertion? I assume the bottles were stored on their sides, right? I am not doubting your assertion that two bottles were corked but that wine was not in the bottle all that long. Could it be that a couple of corks picked up some type of nastiness, e.g. bacteria or fungus in your wine area?

 

[tjmeyer]

Just buy them from a winery! We get bulk discounts and can pass that on to you. The only downside is that they may be branded unless you don't care.

For example, we get our corks from Lafitte and I'd be happy to sell you top notch agglo corks in relatively small quantities (<100 at a time) for about $0.12 each + shipping. These are 44mm x 24mm, chamfered. You can see them here: https://www.lafittecork.com/us/class
I highly recommend Lafitte! But I believe their order minimum is somewhere around 3000

If there's enough interest, I'd be happy to get a large order going for unbranded corks. My only stipulation for the branding is that your wine is amateur and not sold, etc.

Let me know if that's at all helpful.

 

[BarrelMonkey]

Were the corks fresh when you inserted them, i.e. was it a new bag or had it sat for some time in your wine area? Do you recall whether or not you sanitized the corks in any way before insertion? I assume the bottles were stored on their sides, right? I am not doubting your assertion that two bottles were corked but that wine was not in the bottle all that long. Could it be that a couple of corks picked up some type of nastiness, e.g. bacteria or fungus in your wine area?

Brand new, straight out of the bag. I've never sanitized corks, though I guess I might do so if they were old and stored in uncertain conditions. I always store bottles on point in cases and haven't generally had a problem.