what size cork?

[Bubbles2]

Thanks for looking in and helping in advance,

Just started making wine, albeit I have 1.5L screw tops, red/grapes are better when allowed to be corked in the long run, something about very slow breathing?

Anyhow, I've been collecting 750 ml's your average 3 buck Chucks over the years, a few 5.00 Chardonay's. a few Shaw's and Strong's, etc. How do you know what size cork to use?

I am looking at a Ferrari hand corker 16.00 deal, the bench top capper worked find for beer, now I keg, but wondered about which corks to order?

What do I do mic the bottle opening and find a match cork of #8, #9 ?

 

[Bubbles2]

I'm also think about going this route, albeit more expensive, the aging and flavor... There must be a cheaper place to get these if they can retail em and ship em for 70.00... I'd buy 4 or 5 if i could get em cheap enough.
https://www.amazon.com/Sofias-Findi...garden&sprefix=5+liter+barr,garden,179&sr=1-4

 

[Blacksmith1]

Hand corker use #8. Floor corker #9.
#9's are very hard to do with hand corker. Unless you plan on 15-20 yrs in bottle, it shouldn't make a difference.

 

[Bubbles2]

Thanks Blacksmith
Kinda leaning towards buying barrels for grapes and using screw and flip tops for fruits...
Finding 50-60 bucks for 1 gal shipped, waiting on answer on finish inside smoked or charred....instead of buying a corker, corks, wax, breakage, flavor, 2 years sitting around... I dunno? My 7 vines are young now so 1 Gal batches as they come ripe, but in two years that will be 5 gallons and that kegging (as I found within 30 batches of beer) is kinda nice on the back.

 

[Blacksmith1]

Not having those options I'm stuck with used bottles and new corks.

 

[passedpawn]

Hand corker use #8. Floor corker #9.

Ditto.

I'd recommend waiting til you can buy a Portuguese floor corker. Take my word for it, you will smile with each cork. It's an odd pleasure (really!) watching that machine do its job. Just click the link and read the reviews.

$69, free shipping.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0007PTG1C/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[imasickboy]

Ditto.

I'd recommend waiting til you can buy a Portuguese floor corker. Take my word for it, you will smile with each cork. It's an odd pleasure (really!) watching that machine do its job. Just click the link and read the reviews.

$69, free shipping.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0007PTG1C/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

View attachment 637609

+1

Greatest homebrew purchase ever, no matter how little I use it. When I do, holy crap, I love it. Wine bottles or Belgian-style with corks and cages, it doesn't care. It bangs them out with no effort. I highly recommend the extra dollars.

 

[z-bob]

Ditto.

I'd recommend waiting til you can buy a Portuguese floor corker. Take my word for it, you will smile with each cork. It's an odd pleasure (really!) watching that machine do its job. Just click the link and read the reviews.

$69, free shipping.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0007PTG1C/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

View attachment 637609

I have one of those; bought it at the LHBS. (I think it was $70 just like Amazon) I don't use it often, but I love it. One of my best purchases.

I'm using No. 8 x 1.75" corks. I know 9's would work, but I don't age anything more than a year or two (everything gets aged for 3 weeks, but some not much more than that)

 

[bmd2k1]

I use #8s with a ferrari handy corker & it works awesome for moi [emoji16]

Cheers [emoji111]