Bottling mead - Caps vs Corking mead - either method superior?

[meadist]

I recently wrote a post on corking vs capping when bottling mead - I break it down to these 4 things:
- Perception
- Bottle Type
- Duration of Storage
- Cost
http://meadist.com/mead-articles/what-to-use-when-closing-your-mead-cap-vs-cork/

 

[Frognostic]

I have a bottle corker but lack corks.

I worry that if I bottle my mead and lay it on its side so that the mead contacts the cork it will spoil the mead - i.e. it will be "corked".

Looking for corks online I read a few bad reviews for a variety of products and I'm worried that I will buy bad corks.

 

[bernardsmith]

I think that the likelihood that any cork will taint wine is tiny... Tiny that is unless you use bleach as a sanitizer. Bleach will react with cork to produce TBA which is what causes the taint. And once you have introduced this mold into your "winery" - it does not leave quietly. which is one reason that wine makers shake their heads when they hear of people using chlorine bleach to clean or sanitize anything that comes into contact with any piece of wine making equipment.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cork_taint

 

[bigbeer]

Oh interesting. Why is corked better for long term? Better oxygen blocking?

I'm just trying to avoid the expense of a corker at the moment, though reusing wine bottles is easier for me than getting beer bottles. I do want to do what's best for the mead, though.

pretty sure a lot of home-brew/wine shops rent out corkers and cappers. i rent for 2$ a day

 

[Izzie1701]

We just returned from the Rhine area of Germany touring many vineyards. I was very surprised to learn that most high end wines are leaning away from cork and going to screw tops. The reason it hasn't been seen yet in retail stores is the higher end wines are bottle conditioned for longer periods so since they have started leaning away from corks not many wines have been brought to the market place. Cork apparently will start to change the flavour of the wine over long periods of time. They were also finding that it would break down and you would get the "spoiled bottle" of some occasionally. Apparently the screw times are air tight and will not break down. Also this way the wine can be conditioned up right or laying down. They most superior way to cap was using s glass cap. I had never heard of them. There basicly a glass cork with rubber to seal around it. A few vineyards on there very high end wine were using this. I talked a vineyard into giving me 2 to try on my next mead. You moisten them with star San and then push them into the bottle my hand. The synthetic corks are apparently terrible and let the wine oxidize as well as break down and impart plastic flavours into the wine. This opened my eyes as I always looked at the screw top wines to be a cheaper less quality wine then corked wines. They expect within 10 years 80% of wine will have screw tops. I am however not sure if you can cap at home with a screw top though or if they require a press.

 

[fuelish]

Meh, I just use 12 oz recycled beer bottles and crown caps......have never had a problem, but then again, have likely not had a mead be around for 2 years in the bottle (but on the other hand, anymore I bulk age in tertiary or quaternary, quinary, senary, whatever it takes to clear and settle, so....they might be well aged when bottled, anymore). I find the 12 ozers to be a nice size....nice size to gift to someone who doesn't know what to expect of mead, nice size when your wife doesn't want to join in enjoying your oaked ginger habanero sack mead ....you can always open more 12 ozers, but when a big bottle is opened, it must be consumed Plus, I have all the leftovers from my beermaking days of years back, so it makes sense in my case

 

[bigbeer]

Would anyone recommend used screw top wine bottles for long term storage or go with cork?

 

[Deafmeadmaker]

I just bottled my first two meads a bit back. I went with corks and wine bottles (had the bottles, think corks are "traditional"). If you do go that way it was suggested to me to let the corks soak in water overnight to help get them into the bottles. I found that filling an empty jar, putting the corks in, topping with water and putting the cap on the jar let the corks soak up more water than just laying them in a bowl and hoping the drink up. BTW did you ever get your mead made? What did you end up with?

If you let them soak for as little as five minutes, corks are easier to put in. I've never had a problem with breakage either. The only time I broke a bottle was when I was capping my beer.

 

[CKuhns]

I was going to reply and then read Fuelsih response

Ditto me too!

 

[stella_tigre]

If I think it's good stuff, several wine bottles corked and some beer bottles capped with oxy barrier caps. That way you can open a beer bottle every 6 mo to a year until things taste worth opening a big bottle, or you know it's worth serving to company. If I'm not sure it's that good, or it's high ABV, I've started putting it all in beer bottles with the barrier caps....