Encourage Me and Where to Get….

[ChuckD]

I’m no quitter, but I don’t know how I would explain to the ER that I got a nipple stuck in a corker….

No advice here, but whatever you do, however you explain it, please record it!… I sense a viral video in the making!

 

[Raptor99]

Success. Off to the cellar (it’s Florida, no cellar but actually a closet) to age a little in the bottle. I am well pleased.

View attachment 85547
you may notice 2 of my corks did no go entirely in the bottle.
i guess I need practice with the hand corker until I decide to spend a princely sum on a floor corker. Any tips? Maybe I’m just not smooth enough. Almost pinched my left nipple once.

and now I have to pick and skin another batch of loquats.
coming soon - loquat madness.

I find it helpful to soak the corks for 15 minutes in Kmeta sanitizing solution. That not only sanitizes them but makes them easier to put in. I also discovered that if I take care to get the cork centered in the hand corker it is more likely to go all the way in.

 

[winemaker81]

I’m no quitter, but I don’t know how I would explain to the ER that I got a nipple stuck in a corker….

My family includes numerous nurses and I've heard entertaining stories ... this is a rated G or PG forum so I won't explain in detail, but that situation doesn't come any where near close to "embarrassing". Visualize the worst thing you can imagine, and you're probably well short of the mark.

Get a floor corker. Use it once and your double-lever will go into a closet.

I have an Italian which I purchased ~1990, and it still works like a champ. My son will inherit it (although hopefully not any time soon!). This one has brass jaws, is solid steel, and will put any cork in any bottle.

The down side is it's big-n-heavy. The carboys in the background are 19 and 23 liter for size comparison. The Portuguese corker is much smaller, although the ones I'm familiar with have plastic jaws (which are replaceable). It's a trade-off, although far better than a double-lever corker.

Last fall I was visiting my son and we decided to bottle a wine. Since it wasn't arranged ahead of time, I didn't bring the floor corker. We used his double-lever, which he got with a hardware setup. I haven't used my double-lever in decades (it's seriously rusty, but surprisingly still works), and this reminded me why I hadn't used it.

 

[Raptor99]

I don't have a floor corker yet. That looks pretty low to the ground. Do you have to bend over each time you place a bottle in the corker? All that bending over wouldn't be good for my back.

 

[winemaker81]

I don't have a floor corker yet. That looks pretty low to the ground. Do you have to bend over each time you place a bottle in the corker? All that bending over wouldn't be good for my back.

Oddly enough, I couldn't answer your question, as I've used the unit for so many years that I just don't think about it, and had to test it.

I had to go downstairs to see how much I have to bend. I'm 5' 8" and I have to hunch a bit, but not bend. If I was 6' 4"? I'd be bending.

 

[cmason1957]

I am 6' 2" and don't bend to put a bottle in. My wife and I bottle using a Ferrari Automatic Bottle Filler, which is a gravity device, that shuts off when the bottle is full, or use our allinonewinepump. But in either case, we put the bottles into a case box, once a box gets filled, I place it next to the corker and sit down in a chair to cork them. The Blue Italian version is at a great height for that.

 

[FlamingoEmporium]

I find it helpful to soak the corks for 15 minutes in Kmeta sanitizing solution. That not only sanitizes them but makes them easier to put in. I also discovered that if I take care to get the cork centered in the hand corker it is more likely to go all the way in.

Now you tell me. I only dipped in Kmeta to wet them. I kind of thought they centered themselves I’ll watch that next batch.

 

[Raptor99]

Now you tell me. I only dipped in Kmeta to wet them. I kind of thought they centered themselves I’ll watch that next batch.

It took me a while to figure this out. I couldn't understand why some of my corks went all the way in and others did not.

 

[Bossbaby]

I've only ever had the floor corker, My local wine supply shop was selling a slightly used one for 50 dollars, look around a bit for a used one, it's a good investment and they hold there value if you dont eventually need it but I doubt that..

 

[SeniorHobby]

Great thread! I had a good laugh with the corking conversation! It reminded me of my co-worker's grandma who did her laundry with an old fashioned wringer washer, you can imagine what was wrung out there! Ha Ha! I have one question of Flamingoempori, do you have a ph tester? I found that I understand wine making much more once I invested in one. You can also test your acidity with it. Some of us up north in Minnesota have to worry about high acidity grapes!!

 

[FlamingoEmporium]

I don’t. I was thinking of just getting some strips, and that might at least keep a batch from going to an extreme.but then I would need how to treat it if it wasn’t right.

 

[SeniorHobby]

I don’t. I was thinking of just getting some strips, and that might at least keep a batch from going to an extreme.but then I would need how to treat it if it wasn’t right.

I invested in one for about $80 on Amazon, it works great! If you get in any conversations with Rice Guy he talks about ph a lot in reference to being able to store wine for several years. Also, the acid level can also contribute to problems with fermenting.
Someone recommended this one to me, I tried to get the link in here but it was giving me trouble so I finally wrote it down.
Apera Instruments AI311 Premium Series PH60. You will get better at logging when you have one!! Also, love all the pictures! I wish I could have all the fruit trees you have, I just don't want the 90 degree weather that goes with it!! Good Luck!

 

[FlamingoEmporium]

I wish I could have all the fruit trees you have, I just don't want the 90 degree weather that goes with it!! Good Luck!

there’s a new thing now called air conditioning. . Yeah it gets really hot and humid but only for about 5 months. But winter in south Florida is wonderful.

 

[BigDaveK]

I don’t. I was thinking of just getting some strips, and that might at least keep a batch from going to an extreme.but then I would need how to treat it if it wasn’t right.

I have some strips with a very narrow range - 2.0 to 4.0. They work ok for a newbie or the budget minded but I definitely plan to upgrade.

 

[David Violante]

It’s definitely a super good idea to get a pH meter. It takes the guess work out, and they are not that expensive. When you’re looking find one that measures out two decimal places for accuracy and can automatically compensate for temperature.

Knowing the pH of a must is always a question here, especially when trying to figure out what isn’t working so well. There are a few threads on pH meters here. I started with test strips but quickly moved on to a meter. I just couldn’t decide what the color was and whether there was any staining from fruit. Plus I wanted to figure out TA.

 

[ChuckD]

A lot of us here, including myself, are using the Apera pH60. There are others out there as well. Most of the good ones will set you back about $80. I read about a lot of bad experiences with some of the cheap (<$30) pen type meters.

 

[FlamingoEmporium]

Light mango wine is now bottle aging.
light backsweetening made this perfect. IMO
got it done just as the novacaine was wearing off.

and corking went much better, all nipples intact.

yeah the one bottle was a little short.

 

[BigDaveK]

Light mango wine is now bottle aging.
light backsweetening made this perfect. IMO
got it done just as the novacaine was wearing off.

and corking went much better, all nipples intact.

yeah the one bottle was a little short.

I'm getting thirsty!

I treated myself and got a small bottle filler, the kind with a springy valve that shuts when lifted. Something like 3 bucks from Ohio Home Brew. I was making such a mess and had some waste using a plain tube. Love it! All my bottles have the same perfect headroom.

Oh, great news about your nipples!!

 

[FlamingoEmporium]

I treated myself and got a small bottle filler, the kind with a springy valve that shuts when lifted.

now I gotta look for one of those. Tired of cleaning up my mess.

 

[ChuckD]

Oh, great news about your nipples!!

I think we need to start a “WMT After Dark” forum or something