Corks Hard To Remove

[shdixon]

Used Star San to sanitize corks until our last 4 batches. Just a quick dunk and in the corker. I switched and dunked the corks in Easy Clean then into the corker. For the first time the corks are incredibly difficult to remove from the bottles. I'm thinking it's the Easy Clean drying and making the cork stick to the glass. Anyone else have this problem? Also, I guess the only fix is to re-cork the bottles with dry corks, maybe with just the tip dunked in Star San. This is going to be work!

 

[CK55]

Easy Clean makes a peroxide like solution so it should not do that, if the corks don't wanna come loose then its likely something else causing the issue. Do you always use the same corks???

 

[NorCal]

I use #9 corks (15/16) versus #8 corks (7/8), which are harder to remove, but have given me a consistent seal. However, don’t be a cork soaker. Keep your corks in a sanitary environment and use dry.

 

[CK55]

I use #9 corks (15/16) versus #8 corks (7/8), which are harder to remove, but have given me a consistent seal. However, don’t be a cork soaker. Keep your corks in a sanitary environment and use dry.

I use DIAM 5 Corks. Really high quality and worth the money as you cant get cork taint and they don't need to be soaked before use.

 

[stickman]

I also buy good corks and use them dry as recommended by the supplier.
Do not allow easy clean, or any oxygen based cleaner, to contact the wine while wet. These solutions contain hydrogen peroxide which needs time to degrade, any residual peroxide will consume free so2 and possibly cause premature oxidation of the wine.

 

[Ajmassa]

I found this same issue happening for myself too. #9 cheap corks. And sometimes those suckers were so damn stubborn coming out. I just switched to the good stuff- real cork #9
And I’m also not a corksoaker. Learned the trick from the this forum. The ‘corkador’. Inside a a sealed bucket you put all your corks in loose. As well as an open container of k-meta sanitizer solution. The gas from the solution sanitizes corks when lid is sealed. Cork away with no soaking!

 

[shdixon]

Yes, I'm done being a cork soaker. I'm going to make a "corkador". I've been buying what I thought were premium corks. Maybe that is the issue. Someone grabbed the wrong bag from the warehouse and sent them to me.

Thanks to everyone.

 

[CK55]

Yes, I'm done being a cork soaker. I'm going to make a "corkador". I've been buying what I thought were premium corks. Maybe that is the issue. Someone grabbed the wrong bag from the warehouse and sent them to me.

Thanks to everyone.

Use DIAM Corks, Trust me will never have a issue. They make corks rated for 5-50 years in the bottle. just get what you need.

 

[shdixon]

I've looked on the web and can't find a retailer that sells DIAM corks in small quantities. I usually buy around 100-200 corks at a time. We max out at 5-6 kits going at once. 600 bottles in our "wine closet" right now. We have six batches going right now that will need bottled in 3 weeks. If you have a good supplier please let me know. Thanks.

 

[Noontime]

I had the same issue and it was the bottles... we bought cases of bottles and when we started opening them realized they were a #!*$% to get out. It was actually the neck that caused the problem. Seems these bottles had a bit more taper to them, so the cork would expand out a lot more on the bottom and create a plug.

Also agree to NOT wet your corks since it does nothing beneficial but does introduce risk.

 

[Arne]

Had a batch that stuck. Figured out when I corked them and let them stand for a while to make sure the corks didn't back out I didn't lay them down soon enough. They stood there for a couple of months and I didn't get them put on the shelf. They are really tight, broke two cork screws trying to get the corks out. Finally put them back in the corker and pushed the corks in a bit. Most are gone, but they come out fine now and taste great. Good luck with yours, Arne.

 

[bstnh1]

I've looked on the web and can't find a retailer that sells DIAM corks in small quantities. I usually buy around 100-200 corks at a time. We max out at 5-6 kits going at once. 600 bottles in our "wine closet" right now. We have six batches going right now that will need bottled in 3 weeks. If you have a good supplier please let me know. Thanks.

Same here. Can't find any Diam supplier who sells in 100 - 200 lots. I've been using 1+1 A grade No. 9 from Widgetco for several years and have never had any fail for any reason. but I would still like to try Diam.

 

[montanarick]

I just give my corks quick dip in vodka and have never had an issue with removal from bottle

 

[Yeasty Boy]

Just about ready to cork my first batch of wine so this helps me out. I bought 100 #9's and was just thinking what solution to soak them in or boil them. But it looks like the pro's do not soak. I may dip them in Vodka to sanitize like MontanaRick here. Just got a hand bottler and two batches of Skeeter Pee/Dragons Blood to practice with.
Anybody else just dip and not soak?

 

[szap]

The online site I buy my corks from was out of stock on the natural corks so I bought 100 of the synthetic corks. I thought they sell these for wine so they must be okay right? Wrong. These corks were virtually impossible to pull from the bottle. Probably not what you are using, but thought I would post this to keep someone else from, making this mistake. Never again.

 

[sour_grapes]

Just about ready to cork my first batch of wine so this helps me out. I bought 100 #9's and was just thinking what solution to soak them in or boil them. But it looks like the pro's do not soak. I may dip them in Vodka to sanitize like MontanaRick here. Just got a hand bottler and two batches of Skeeter Pee/Dragons Blood to practice with.
Anybody else just dip and not soak?

I just put them in dry (like most people on this site).