Does this cork look OK?

[Cabernut]

Two months after bottling my first batch, I opened one to celebrate being unemployed and noticed the cork has a small dark patch (I hope its not mold or bacteria!) on the inward side and seems smaller on the outward side. I can easily put the cork back in on the smaller side, did it shrink or dry out? Nothing to worry about?

 

[AlFulchino]

always hard to tell from a picture..but it looks bad...i would throw it out in a second...i could never let a customer see that if it was mine...and even you will be capping off your all your hard work....get new corks

 

[Cabernut]

I prepped them by spraying them with K-meta and let them sit for about 15 min, then shook the excess off before putting them into the floor corker. I was using a borrowed Portugese floor corker. Here's another angle:

Considering I'm going to bottle my 2nd batch tomorrow, I'm a bit concerned.
This time, I'm using a new hand corker and siphon valve bottle filler so I feel better about sanitation.

...and corks from Clickabrew this time.

 

[milbrosa]

I can't tell much from that picture, even though the second one is very clear. I still can't tell if that is something on the cork that is discoloring it, or if a chunk of cork is missing. Anyway, it doesn't look good.

I keep my floor corker covered with a plastic bag when not in use to keep dust off it. I spray all the surfaces of the corker that touch cork or bottle with Star San before corking. I fumigate my corks in a cork safe (a collander inside of a closed bucket suspended over a bit of sodium metabisulfite) for a couple of hours before I cork. Haven't had a problem yet.

If you cleaned and sanitized the corker, I'd suspect the cork was bad to start with rather than the corker.

 

[AlFulchino]

to make an anolgy....it appears as if you just went out and bought a new cadillac and decided to put bald tires on it and feel good about driving it.....if you were going to age this wine, does it make sense for you to use this cork any more than drive a new or old car on bald tires???

it is a risk...and for a 10-25 cent cork, is it worth all your investment in this wine?

 

[tjbryner]

I think it was a new cork. To me it looks like a stain from the wine, Is there any off smell from the bottle?

I'd just dump a bottle if I'm not sure about it.

 

[AlFulchino]

when he said he was bottling tomorrow, i assumed it is from the same batch...wine stain or not and you may be/likely right....there should be no chips in the corks and he never said that a piece of cork was floating in the wine so i am led to believe only two scenarios....a chip broke off prior to bottling and hit the floor or its a not so good batch of corks...the batch could be dried out for example .....and worst case there was mold and it started loosening things....cork being cork, if mold gets inside cracks and crevices of other corks, then a few minutes of sanitizing will be on minimal effect

this is a good topic because we are asking the wine to sit for years sometimes and something as small as a cork can make or break things for us

 

[ibglowin]

I would be inclined to switch to a different variety. Thats not looking very good and it wasn't in there very long.

 

[Cabernut]

Yes, this was from my first batch I bottled 2 months ago. I have no idea what kind of corks I used other than they were free and they're agglomerate #9 short. And now that I think of it, the floor corker I borrowed was taking a small chunk off here and there.

I just bottled my 2nd batch yesterday. This time I bought decent corks off Clickabrew, sanitized them by putting them dry into a very large bowl with a small bowl in the middle filled with some strong K-meta solution, and then covered the whole thing with saran wrap, and let them sit in SO2 for a few hours.

I also wore vinyl gloves and used a new hand corker which gave me great results!

My 2nd batch was the exact same kit as my first, but it already tastes much better than the first did at this point. Thanks to reading this site and better equipment!

 

[cpfan]

Yes, this was from my first batch I bottled 2 months ago. I have no idea what kind of corks I used other than they were free and they're agglomerate #9 short. And now that I think of it, the floor corker I borrowed was taking a small chunk off here and there.

EXACTLY. I was just going to ask if it was an older floor corker. The corker is out of alignment and the corks aren't going in straight, thus the chunk coming off the bottom of the cork.

I'm not 1000% positve, but your wine should be just fine.

Steve

 

[sjo]

I had some bottles with corks like that. Wine was fine, not more than 5 to 6 months in bottles. it was a batch that stayed upright for 1 1/2 months before they were layed down. Not sure, but I might recork them.
SJO

 

[GlassDream]

That cork looks like it's being broken down. I agree with the others. Throw it out.

 

[cpfan]

That cork looks like it's being broken down. I agree with the others. Throw it out.

It's a used cork. Of course, it's going to get thrown out.

Steve

 

[Cabernut]

I opened another bottle and wouldn't ya know... same mark on the cork! It must be from the corker I was using. It tasted fine, it looked like it had a slight brownish tinge. I'm guessing the corks were already a bit dried out and let the wine oxidize a little?

Looks like lesson learned here is to use a clean and properly aligned corker as well as good corks!

 

[Arne]

Any chance your old borrowed corker had some kinda wine virus or sumthin on it?? Don't know if there is sucha thing as wine virus but just a thought. Arne.