Is airspace necessary under cork

[garymc]

I did this with a couple of bottles. But they were both bottles I'll be drinking soon. They were the last little bit in the bottom of a 5 gallon and 2 one gallon vessels. I call it the dregs wine. Not something I'd give anybody. Since it's muscadine wine, I can put it in the fridge and have it chilled and ready to drink. I started this wine in August or September of 2011, so it's pretty well on the way to being aged.

 

[garymc]

It strikes me that these predictions that temperature change causing the wine to expand and blow the cork might be a bit exaggerated. I think the liquid might expand a quarter inch or maybe a half inch. The same laws of physics will cause the liquid to contract when I put it in the fridge. Going from 75 degrees to 80 or 85 wouldn't be near as much expansion as the contraction from putting it in the fridge and going from 75 to 40. I'll check to see if it sucks the cork into the bottle. I think the big cork popper is fermentation. Anyhow, I'm going to have to be more careful how full the bottles are when I fill them to keep this from being a problem in the future. The time standing upright to allow the cork to expand without contact with wine is not available with this bottle since it's in direct contact in any position.

 

[keena]

It strikes me that these predictions that temperature change causing the wine to expand and blow the cork might be a bit exaggerated. I think the liquid might expand a quarter inch or maybe a half inch. The same laws of physics will cause the liquid to contract when I put it in the fridge. Going from 75 degrees to 80 or 85 wouldn't be near as much expansion as the contraction from putting it in the fridge and going from 75 to 40. I'll check to see if it sucks the cork into the bottle. I think the big cork popper is fermentation. Anyhow, I'm going to have to be more careful how full the bottles are when I fill them to keep this from being a problem in the future. The time standing upright to allow the cork to expand without contact with wine is not available with this bottle since it's in direct contact in any position.

When you insert the cork it builds alot of pressure itself, so the contraction would only probly equalize the pressure while an increase in pressure is working with the pressure already there. Know what I mean Gary? So the small increase in temp would do more damage than a large decrease in temp. I think anyways.. Lol

 

[garymc]

Sounds good. But if wine can't be compressed, then the cork won't compress it. I'm guessing the iris of the machine squeezes the cork small enough that air and wine can exit around it as it goes in. I could see it compressing air if the cork expands out quickly enough to seal as it enters the neck of the bottle.

 

[keena]

I think that's why they are saying we need a little air space below the cork, cuz that air can be compressed. I think... Haha, maybe I'm wrong