Corks 8 v 9?

[Elmer]

I have always bought #8 corks on the advice of my LHBS guy.
I never went with #9 because I was always told there "not much difference".

I tend to bottle in a standard bourdoex/Pinot noir bottle and the 8's have always seemed to slide in nicely, fit well enough and don't put up a struggle when you pull out.

It has been suggested by some on WMT that I use 9.
So what are the benefits of a 9?
And since I am plum out of corks should my next purchase be 9's?



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[MrKevin]

What kind of corker do you have. #9 corks are larger and therefore require (though not impossible) a floor corker. Of course larger diameter corks tighter seal, better for long term storage.

 

[calvin]

I always bought #8 corks because I use a double lever corker. Figured #9's would be to much trouble. I picked up some #9 to try out on the last batch I bottled. They went in with no trouble at all. From now on its only #9's for this guy

 

[bkisel]

Interesting. When I bought my first corks the LHBS sold me 9s. They worked just fine with my lever corker - I've since gotten a floor corker. I've used maybe 4-5 different brands/types of corks over the past 16 months but all have been 9s.

 

[Elmer]

I currently use either a double lever corker of a plastic plunger corker.
8's always seemed to work easy enough with either corker.

However given that my LHBS guy gives me advice, but all his wine making tends be to the contrary, I can no longer take it as solid advice!

http://www.midwestsupplies.com/plastic-plunger-corker.html

 

[cmason1957]

I found this on http://store.homebrewheaven.com/wine-corks-bag-of-100--8-corks-p781.aspx

The #9 cork has a nominal diameter of 24mm (0.945") and is considered the standard for wine bottles. It makes a very tight fit in a standard wine bottle.

The #8 cork has a diameter of 22mm (0.866")and is a little easier to install, but we don't recommend storing your bottles on their sides with this size cork.

and I found this PDF. http://www.midwestsupplies.com/media/pdf-printouts/does_cork_size_really_matter.pdf

The important thing I got from the PDF was #7 corks, don't use only good for a few months at best. #8 corks use if you don't plan to keep the wine long (1-2 years) and #9 is the cork to use if you plan to age your wine any length of time.

I have always used #9 corks, even back when I had the two-handed knuckle buster corker.

 

[Elmer]

I found this on http://store.homebrewheaven.com/wine-corks-bag-of-100--8-corks-p781.aspx

The #9 cork has a nominal diameter of 24mm (0.945") and is considered the standard for wine bottles. It makes a very tight fit in a standard wine bottle.

The #8 cork has a diameter of 22mm (0.866")and is a little easier to install, but we don't recommend storing your bottles on their sides with this size cork.

and I found this PDF. http://www.midwestsupplies.com/media/pdf-printouts/does_cork_size_really_matter.pdf

The important thing I got from the PDF was #7 corks, don't use only good for a few months at best. #8 corks use if you don't plan to keep the wine long (1-2 years) and #9 is the cork to use if you plan to age your wine any length of time.

I have always used #9 corks, even back when I had the two-handed knuckle buster corker.

That is all the info I need to switch to 9's!

Of course it is funny that I store bottles with 8's on their side and never had an issue.

 

[Brew and Wine Supply]

I started out using 9's, wife had trouble getting them out of the bottle, Went to 8's, she has no problem. we store them on their sides all the time and none have leaked. If I were to store some wine for 5 or 6 years I would go with the 9's but most of our wine does not make it past a year. The 7's are used for the 187ml bottles, I think they are too small for using in regular wine bottles.