Cork choice

I have a couple gallons of blackberry wine coming along real good and its time to think about bottling. This is my first wine so each step is a learning process.

When researching which type of cork to use, all I can find is "natural cork may cause cork-taint" and "synthetic corks dont alow O2 in for aging".

Is cork taint a problem for BB wine? If so, how long does it take to set in. What type of cork is the best choice for my blackberry wine?

Thanks in advance.

-TL

Synthetic absolutely allows aging. I only use synthetic because it's easier to store and won't potentially crumble.

tlock said:

I have a couple gallons of blackberry wine coming along real good and its time to think about bottling. This is my first wine so each step is a learning process.

When researching which type of cork to use, all I can find is "natural cork may cause cork-taint" and "synthetic corks dont alow O2 in for aging".

Is cork taint a problem for BB wine? If so, how long does it take to set in. What type of cork is the best choice for my blackberry wine?

Thanks in advance.

-TL

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Two things you need to consider:

1. What type of corker do you have? Some don't do well with synthetics.

2. How long do you plan to age the wine? I don't know if this is specific to synthetic vs. natural, but some corks are meant for longer term aging. They cost more, so if you plan to drink all your wine in the first year, go with the cheaper option.

I dont have a corker yet. Will be getting one of those too. Do the $20 hand-held ones work well?

I will likely drink most within a year, but I may let some age for a couple years if I can resist temptation.

Sounds like synthetics should work just fine.

Thanks.

tlock said:

I dont have a corker yet. Will be getting one of those too. Do the $20 hand-held ones work well?

I will likely drink most within a year, but I may let some age for a couple years if I can resist temptation.

Sounds like synthetics should work just fine.

Thanks.

Click to expand...

The double handled hand corkers are a huge pain in the ass to use- BUT they do the job if you're only making a small quantity of wine. A floor corker works great- but they are big and take up lots of room and they are costly. They are needed if you're going to be making a lot of wine.

If you use a hand corker, make sure to get #8 corks as you'll curse and mutter trying to get #9 corks in!

I use both synthetic and premium natural corks, and both work well for me. I've only had one or two bottles over 25+ years (out of over 1000) have any issues and it wasn't cork taint as much as it was an infection or something in the one bottle. I wouldn't worry about it- just get the best quality you can afford in a #8 cork.

Along these lines, I've been saving corks from commercial bottles. They were removed with a 'gas decorker' so there is only a small hole, if any. I soaked them in a dilute bleach solution (mostly to get the red wine color out), then plan on a starsan soak before use and probably a metabisulphite soak at bottling time.
Does this sound reasonable, or am I being penny wise and pound foolish? I have used similar in Belgian bottles for beer in the past without problems. If it matters, the wines will be Dandelion and Peach.

I guess it really depends on the "small hole" If there is any hole all the way through, I would not use them. Also even if cleaned and sanitized well, I would still worry about what might be growing inside the "wood".

What is a good brand/sorce for buying corks? I dont want to buy bulk. <50 will probably suit me for the amout I have going.

JimRausch said:

Along these lines, I've been saving corks from commercial bottles. They were removed with a 'gas decorker' so there is only a small hole, if any. I soaked them in a dilute bleach solution (mostly to get the red wine color out), then plan on a starsan soak before use and probably a metabisulphite soak at bottling time.
Does this sound reasonable, or am I being penny wise and pound foolish? I have used similar in Belgian bottles for beer in the past without problems. If it matters, the wines will be Dandelion and Peach.

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I'd toss used corks. They are pretty cheap, and I wouldn't risk ruining a batch of wine with used corks, even if you could plug the whole with wax or something. It wouldn't be worth losing a batch or even a few bottles of wine for like $12 for 100 corks.