Keeping corks wet

[dangerdave]

I mist my corks with a little sanitizer spray before bottling time. Makes tham slide in easier. I use a hand corker, and I noticed that the dry corks sometimes refuse to go down nicely into the bottle neck.

I also store my wine on it's side.

 

[reefman]

I mist my corks with a little sanitizer spray before bottling time. Makes tham slide in easier. I use a hand corker, and I noticed that the dry corks sometimes refuse to go down nicely into the bottle neck.

I also store my wine on it's side.

The wine making courses I have attended locally, and the videos I have watched, all say to briefly soak your corks in a Potassium Metabisulfate solution....I agree with DangerDave, dry corks are very stubborn when using a hand corker. I'd love to use Synthetic corks, but at the local HBS they are all almost a buck a piece....that increases my wine cost by about 30%.


Doug

 

[North_Ga_Jug-Or-Not]

@RunninWolf

Besides keeping sediment off of the sides, or just having something to do with agitating the wine im not sure the exact purpose of the turning. I just know that they do in fact do this at restaurants and such. My dad owns a restaurant locally, sports bar and grill nothing that sales $200 bottles of wine. haha But it was him and his gf that were just talking about this recently, she was saying our beer guy was telling her how at some restaurant(in Atlanta I believe) the lady thats turned their bottles for 15 years had CT so bad in her wrist she got some money out of it. Now they are giving them braces and/or electric bottle turners to prevent this. Kinda silly if you ask me, but I can see how twisting thousands of bottles constantly can get a bit sore for a wrist.

 

[Lurker]

Ok so I'll open up the can of worms! First off I've never heard of having to occasionally turn your bottles unless it is champagne on a riddling board rack.

Next I am having doubts on how necessary it is to lay bottles on their side ( I do lay mine down incidentally). Think about it. There are thousands of cases sitting in the wineries stored in cases upright. Then they go to distributors before hitting the retailers. In some cases we could be talking 3-5 years or more. In this day and age we are using better corks and closers and taking better steps to protect the wine with preservitives (meta). Just some food for thought.

Right on Dan. I store them on the sides and occasionally give them a twist. I do think that the corks should be kept wet, but as Dan said, why? Maybe just to follow tradition. As to twisting, I think that it is to hide residue if there is any.

 

[robie]

The wine making courses I have attended locally, and the videos I have watched, all say to briefly soak your corks in a Potassium Metabisulfate solution....I agree with DangerDave, dry corks are very stubborn when using a hand corker. I'd love to use Synthetic corks, but at the local HBS they are all almost a buck a piece....that increases my wine cost by about 30%.


Doug

Hi Doug,
I am not trying to take business away from your LHBS, but if they are that expensive, you might consider buying some things via mail order. I do almost no business at all with the LHBS's in my city, because their prices are outrageous. Instead, I buy everything through one of our sponsors in Dallas - The Wine Makers' Toy Store (Ex: $10 less for a 6 gallon carboy after shipping costs). Since I am in another state, I don't pay sales tax. Even after paying shipping costs, I still come out way ahead money-wise.

If you buy those corks in 100 lots, they are not going to cost you that much.

Also, never soak your corks; if you have to do anything at all, just mist them with Kmeta just before inserting them. George at The Wine Makers' Toy Store puts the corks in a colander and pours Kmeta solution over them just before inserting them. The idea is they don't "soak" in the solution.

Be mindful that when you pick up a wet cork, stuff on your fingers will sort of dissolve onto the cork surface, so be sure to spray your hands first with a good sanitizer.

 

[North_Ga_Jug-Or-Not]

Right on Dan. I store them on the sides and occasionally give them a twist. I do think that the corks should be kept wet, but as Dan said, why? Maybe just to follow tradition. As to twisting, I think that it is to hide residue if there is any.

Keeping the corks wet, as far as ive always been told, it has to do with the fact that cork is porous. If it becomes dry, its like a sponge air can easily pass through it. If you are storing wine for a long period keeping the cork wet and the temp correct is a must or youll open a bottle of vinegar bc air was able to permeate through your dry cork. Even if you only plan on a two year storage, im sure most if not all of us have went to open a bottle of wine only to be chewing and crumbling a cork out of the bottle and finishing by just pushing the remainder through into the wine. Then of course getting the pieces of cork out of your glass. haha This means you opened it before it could oxidize.

Now, if you arent using real cork corks and you are using synthetic then I see no problem storing your wine in any way you see fit. Correct me if im wrong on this point, but I dont see anybody encountering these "classic" problems using a modern "cork". Maybe though, bc even these synthetic corks must permeate oxygen as well, just not at the same rate. When it comes to the turning I could probably find something on the net, but im not looking right this moment. Sediment is first to come to mind. The only other would be to agitate the wine, maybe help the ageing process..?