Corks..to soak, or not to soak??

[CoastalEmpireWine]

I purchased a bag of 30 premium corks which costs roughly 9 dollars. I have read on here that some people do recommend soaking corks and some people dont. I understand why not to do it in a k/na meta solution as it will cause my italian floor corker to corrode.

But, will soaking my corks in Star-San hurt them? It shouldn't damage the brass jaws inside.

 

[FABulousWines]

Maybe somebody can explain to me if there is some advantage to the corking process itself with soaking, but if you are using a floor corker I can't envision any reason for soaking a cork. Maybe someone can enlighten us both.

As far sanitizing goes, the best advice I have found is to use a corkidor. It is the k-meta fumes that do the sanitization, so if you keep them in a sealed bucket with a partially filled wine bottle they will be safe to use when you need them. The corks do not come in direct contact with the solution, but they are bacteria free from the fumes. In fact I keep k-meta in my carboys and buckets when not in use for this very same reason.

 

[CoastalEmpireWine]

I believe it has to do with sterilization.....

 

[Elmer]

In the past I have bought corks which were presoaked in sanitizer.
I now buy the synthetic corks.
I drop them in some K-meta, quickly prior to bottling.
I cork, but since I usually leave the bottles standing in a box, the wine does not really touch the cork,
So i am not as concerned about sanitizing the cork.

 

[GaDawg]

Baptist soak the corks and Methodist just sprinkle

 

[Julie]

I won't soak them, I believe they break down when you soak them. I use to lay mine in the sanitizer from my bottle rack and they seem to work fine but I noticed that those bottles the wine was seeping thru the corks.

 

[CoastalEmpireWine]

Julie, so you dont recommend soaking them? How do you recommend sanitizing them?

 

[Floandgary]

K-meta and corks

Just remember,,, there's a difference between dunking and saturating. Immersing corks in a sanitizer for 10 min or so before bottling will not alter the cork and actually helps the cork seal better. Saturating a cork serves no purpose beyond super sanitizing and IMHO is a waste of sanitizer and a cork!!

 

[Julie]

Julie, so you dont recommend soaking them? How do you recommend sanitizing them?

corkidor! you put some k-meta in a bowl, place in the bottom o f a bucket and spread our corks around the outside of the bowl and snap the lid down, just remember to hold your breath when you open it back up.

floandgary, where in the heck have you been? I think it is time for another wine get together.

 

[dralarms]

I count out what I need and put them in a colander, then pour a little k-meta over them and then cork. I do not soak.

 

[bchilders]

I let mine soak for at least the recommend 1 minute in K-Meta and then remove and rinse in distilled water. I do this for sanitation purposes. I have tried hot boiling water but that will damage the corks is not careful. I use a double lever hand corker and having the corks moist also helps with this as well. Rinsing should eliminate your corrosion concerns.

 

[Floandgary]

Julie,,, here/there/in/out and busy at it too. where do the time go? Anytime is good time to get together, but can you imagine sitting outside sampling in this heat??? Something might start fermenting!

 

[Tess]

I float mine around in the K-metta solution just before I bottle them. Not really a soak just to sanitize and its makes the cork go in easier. Until I see for some reason this is not working for me I will stay with it

 

[robie]

Never soak tour corks. The solution can cause the corks to break down.

Best option is to use a corkador as explained above. Second is to place your corks in a colander and pour k-meta over them. After a minute or so shake off the excess k-meta and begin to bottle.

I have done it both ways but prefer a corkador.

 

[Julie]

bchilders and Tess, I would always just dip the corks but the problem I had was once I started to age my wines for 9 month to a year, I would see beads of wine on the top of the corks. Once I stopped with dipping the corks in sanitizer, I no longer get beads of wine on the top of the corks.

 

[Tess]

Julie Im just getting started so I will definitely take your word for it. I really haven't had the time yet to test the aged cork.
I just ordered synthetic corks the other day. I think for anything other then the readily drinkable Island Mist and such I will just go with synthetic then. If I dont have any I get a bucket and do as you recommended. Thanks for the tip

 

[Tess]

Im trying to get a visual of this. How big is this bowl and about how many corks can you keep in there?

 

[dralarms]

Mine is a five gallon bucket. Got a wine bottle in the center with k-meta in it. I still rinse in k-meta before bottling.

 

[Julie]

Tess, I think synthetic is the way to go. And here is the link to the corkidor:

http://www.winemakingtalk.com/forum/f3/making-corkidor-6658

 

[Runningwolf]

I agree with Julie, that using synthetic corks are fine for anything you're going to drink within a couple years. If I was not going to start drinking them for two years I would go with a better cork.