Corks, and other bottle stoppers

[Raptor99]

My niece has the Portuguese corker (probably the regular one). IME its best use is table top, although sitting should work. It would kill my back to lean over and bottle 30 bottles, much less 100+. Calling it a "floor corker" is a bit of a stretch, although it works quite well.

That is exactly my concern. If I got that one, I would need to build a platform the right height to put under it. In terms of ergonomics, standing is better than sitting while pushing down on the corker lever, as long as you don't need to lean over.

The Burgundy Superior Portuguese Floor Corker is 3 inches taller, and one of the reviewers who is 6 feet tall said that he can use it standing up without bending over. I don't know if it would be tall enough for me.

 

[winemaker81]

The Burgundy Superior Portuguese Floor Corker is 3 inches taller, and one of the reviewers who is 6 feet tall said that he can use it standing up without bending over. I don't know if it would be tall enough for me.

Was the reviewer on his knees?

3" doesn't make that much different.

 

[Raptor99]

I looked at a few videos. People are bending way down at the waist to use this on the floor. Here is a video of using the red corker on a waist high counter:

This one looks like he is on his knees: . This one too:

Since this is called a "floor corker," I thought that you could use it on the floor while standing up. Maybe they should call this a table top corker or a "kneeling on the floor" corker.

 

[cmason1957]

I have the red Portuguese one like in the first video. I sit in a folding chair and use it quite fine. 200 bottles is nothing to do.

 

[bstnh1]

The standard Portuguese floor corker is for use on the floor while standing. The table top model is for use on a table top. It is too short to use on the floor unless you're on your knees. I believe the floor model is by far the most common.

 

[winemaker81]

We should ensure we are all talking about the same models. I have the Ferrari floor corker, painted dark blue, and it's 36" tall. Note that this one is 35 yo, and I cannot say if the current models are the same size. I looked at various ads for it, and none mention size. I had to measure mine.

I have the red Portuguese one like in the first video. I sit in a folding chair and use it quite fine. 200 bottles is nothing to do.

The standard Portuguese floor corker is for use on the floor while standing. The table top model is for use on a table top. It is too short to use on the floor unless you're on your knees. I believe the floor model is by far the most common.

What is the height of your corkers? I was under the impression that there was one model of Portuguese corker, but there is at least 2, possibly 3.

 

[cmason1957]

What is the height of your corkers? I was under the impression that there was one model of Portuguese corker, but there is at least 2, possibly 3.

Mine is red, has a brand name of Ferrari on the tag. It sits 27 inches fully closed. Just the perfect height for sitting in a folding chair.

I had one of the blue ones and the bearing at the back became elongated. It didn't work nearly as well after that. I sold it to someone for $20 with a warning he might have to do work to make it function properly.

 

[Raptor99]

The FastRack Portuguese Floor Corker is 32 inches high according to the ad: https://www.amazon.com/Wine-Bottle-Floor-Corker-Portuguese/dp/B0007PTG1C/ It is unclear from the ad whether 32 inches is the height with the handle raised or fully lowered.

 

[winemaker81]

The FastRack Portuguese Floor Corker is 32 inches high according to the ad: https://www.amazon.com/Wine-Bottle-Floor-Corker-Portuguese/dp/B0007PTG1C/ It is unclear from the ad whether 32 inches is the height with the handle raised or fully lowered.

My Ferrari is just a hair under 36" with the handle down.

 

[Rocky]

For anyone having problems with wear on their Italian Floor Corker, please take time to read through this post by NorCal. I had the problem of wear making the centering of the push pin inconsistent. I made this change and it worked perfectly. Unfortunately, I sold the corker (Ugh!) when we were contemplating moving to Florida and now I have two Portuguese models.

https://www.winemakingtalk.com/threads/fixing-my-ferrari.57447/

 

[bstnh1]

We should ensure we are all talking about the same models. I have the Ferrari floor corker, painted dark blue, and it's 36" tall. Note that this one is 35 yo, and I cannot say if the current models are the same size. I looked at various ads for it, and none mention size. I had to measure mine.



What is the height of your corkers? I was under the impression that there was one model of Portuguese corker, but there is at least 2, possibly 3.

My Portuguese floor corker is .... 40 1/2" to the top of the handle when fully extended; about 25" to the top of the hole above the the irises where you insert the cork.

 

[Anna Nelson]

I looked at a few videos. People are bending way down at the waist to use this on the floor. Here is a video of using the red corker on a waist high counter:

This one looks like he is on his knees: . This one too:

Since this is called a "floor corker," I thought that you could use it on the floor while standing up. Maybe they should call this a table top corker or a "kneeling on the floor" corker.

I use my “floor corker” on my kitchen table. It needs a stable platform to stand the pressure. I do it standing up. In order to sit, it would have to be on the floor.

 

[Anna Nelson]

My daughter offered to get me corks at the brew supply store in Anchorage. I forgot to tell her 1.75 inch-so now I have 100 1.5 inch corks. #9 agglomerated. The store is 350 miles away, so I am not going to trade them in. What should I know about using shorter corks? My floor corker pushes them in just fine. Should I be wrapping the tops - I don’t like the idea of plastic, but I am willing to use wax if I should. I am making fruit wines that I don’t imagine will age more than a year or two.

 

[Ohio Bob]

My daughter offered to get me corks at the brew supply store in Anchorage. I forgot to tell her 1.75 inch-so now I have 100 1.5 inch corks. #9 agglomerated. The store is 350 miles away, so I am not going to trade them in. What should I know about using shorter corks? My floor corker pushes them in just fine. Should I be wrapping the tops - I don’t like the idea of plastic, but I am willing to use wax if I should. I am making fruit wines that I don’t imagine will age more than a year or two.

If you’re expecting to drink them within a few years, the #8’s should be ok.

 

[winemaker81]

My daughter offered to get me corks at the brew supply store in Anchorage. I forgot to tell her 1.75 inch-so now I have 100 1.5 inch corks. #9 agglomerated. The store is 350 miles away, so I am not going to trade them in. What should I know about using shorter corks? My floor corker pushes them in just fine. Should I be wrapping the tops - I don’t like the idea of plastic, but I am willing to use wax if I should. I am making fruit wines that I don’t imagine will age more than a year or two.

You don't need to do anything special. Just put 'em in the bottle, and as Bob said, if you're using the wine within a few years (up to 5 IME) those corks are fine.

Note -- I put capsules on all bottles to protect the cork from dirt and dust. They're not strictly necessary.

 

[Anna Nelson]

You don't need to do anything special. Just put 'em in the bottle, and as Bob said, if you're using the wine within a few years (up to 5 IME) those corks are fine.

Note -- I put capsules on all bottles to protect the cork from dirt and dust. They're not strictly necessary.

Thank you. Each day I learn something new.

 

[QuiQuog]

Would it be possible to post a picture of the corks with the bottom edges folded up? It would seem that there is a problem with your floor corker. These corkers work by having the iris squeeze the cork into a smaller diameter, uniform cylinder. My guess would be that at times the cork somehow extends below the iris so that when the iris squeezes the cork, a small portion of the cork retains a slightly greater diameter. Have you ever changed the iris jaws? Did you buy the floor corker new or used?

I was going through my photos and found the pictures I took when you asked the question, but never posted. Anyway, here’s what the look like.

 

[tjmeyer]

I haven't been impressed with the natural nomacorcs, can't speak for agglos. I was getting consistent drying out after bottling (bottles on side) which can cause issues like tearing on the way out and other things. Could also have just been the batch I had, but they weren't dried out before I bottled them, I always check for that.

 

[tjmeyer]

I was going through my photos and found the pictures I took when you asked the question, but never posted. Anyway, here’s what the look like.

I have NEVER seen that happen before. Maybe the cork compressor is too large? Maybe this is more common with rubber corks, I'm not too experienced with those.

 

[winemaker81]

I haven't been impressed with the natural nomacorcs, can't speak for agglos. I was getting consistent drying out after bottling (bottles on side) which can cause issues like tearing on the way out and other things. Could also have just been the batch I had, but they weren't dried out before I bottled them, I always check for that.

I've seen some batch variation in Nomacorcs, although I recently opened bottles from 2018 and the corks were in great shape.

They make numerous grades of corks, and I'm not sure if the one bag my niece purchased was bottom end as they seemed spongy.