Cork Selection

[Felixio]

I have five wines that I am making/about to make that I would like to all hit their peak in about 2-3 years. They are all Winexpert Eclipse, the Cab/Sauv, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Riesling, and the Pinot Gris. I am getting ready to bottle the first batch and rack another and I was wondering what corks I could use to ensure that they age on the time table that I want. Is there anything else that I can do to make sure that they are all peaking around 2-3 years from now?

 

[TexasWine]

Local shop here in Houston suggested I use the synthetic corks. I'd go that route.

As far as aging, my wine never hangs around long enough to test the longevity of the corks.

 

[hitthewall79]

I strongly recommend zorks, they don't require a corker and they make your wine resealable

 

[kh54s10]

I don't have a suggestion on the corks but commercial wines have cork corks. Also, don't white wines only last a year or two?

 

[Yooper]

Get the best corks you can afford! It really makes a difference in how long the wine can age.

I buy "ultra premium" size #9 1.5 inch long corks on wines that I want to be able to drink a couple of years down the road. Synthetic corks could work, but I've only used them once so I can't say how they are long-term.

 

[WilliamSlayer]

I'd reccomend the best corks you can find. For long term (3-9 years) aging, my LHBS sells DIAM II corks, sometimes known as 'Altec' corks. They are a high grade agglomerated cork, coated in a material that keeps soft and flexable for years.

 

[Inner10]

Any number 9 long natural cork. I get a bag if 1000 for 80 bucks...or a bag of 100 for 25.

Synthetic will crease with a jaw compressor, you need a pneumatic corker with a horn compressor.

 

[oogaboogachiefwalkingdeer]

One drawback on the synthetic cork is they trap the air you push in when corking. It can't get out of the bottle. Temp changes can then make the cork pop out. Had this happen to three or four bottles on different batch's. Never ever had a problem with cork cork's.

 

[Heavywalker]

I use a #9 1.5" bi-disk cork, that has kept the wine well the last couple of years.

 

[ReefKeeper]

The biggest drawback to synthetics is that they allow more air ingress than any other enclosure. They are also harder to compress so you will need a floor corker for them. My wines generally don't last more than a year or two so I'm fine with amalgamated corks. I f I wanted to age longer than that I'd opt for the amalgamated cork with natural ends or a 100% natural cork.

 

[ReefKeeper]

Also, don't white wines only last a year or two?

Yes, and no. Aromatic whites like Guwurztraminer are best consumed young in most cases. On the flip side, a well made Chardonnay or Riesling can age side by side with some of the most robust reds.

The white wine kits I've made have only lasted 6 months before degrading.

 

[TexasWine]

The biggest drawback to synthetics is that they allow more air ingress than any other enclosure. They are also harder to compress so you will need a floor corker for them. My wines generally don't last more than a year or two so I'm fine with amalgamated corks. I f I wanted to age longer than that I'd opt for the amalgamated cork with natural ends or a 100% natural cork.

Just catching up on this thread. Per ReefKeeper synthetics allow air ingress. Per OogaBooga, synthetics seal so tightly that some corks pop out with temp change.

Maybe I'm misunderstanding something, but don't these two opinions conflict? I'm pretty new at this whole wine making thing, so just wanna make sure I have my facts straight.

 

[oogaboogachiefwalkingdeer]

That has been my experience. With real cork you sit bottle upright three or four days to let compressed air to escape before turning to the side. Once you push the rubber ones in the air is compressed in the bottle and can not escape. Let them warm up a bit and you may or may not have problems. I have had for or five out of 200 do this. Never had a real cork pop out.

 

[ReefKeeper]

You stand the bottles up right for a few days to allow the corks to expand from the compression of corking, to ensure a seal... not to let compressed air out. We skip this step when bottling at the winery I work at and package them in the case upside down as they come off the line. Can you imagine unstacking several pallets of wine and flipping the bottles after three days, and then stacking the cases back onto the pallets? No thanks. As far as I know, we have not had a leak yet (we use natural corks for what it's worth).

The info on the Oxygen ingress of closures originally comes from a study done at Victor Segalen Bordeau 2 University. I've also read it in Practical Winery and Vineyard journal, and was also repeated in one of my enology classes. I've never had any cork, be it synthetic, natural or agglomeratd, pop due to temperature change or any other reason. Usually this is caused by a secondary fermentation inside the bottle. How big of a temperature swing did you expose these wines to?

I have had a solid bung shot out of a carboy due to thermal expansion though. The carboy couldn't have been open for more than a day or too, but it turned my Frotenac/St. Pepin blend a bit more brick red than I would have liked. Luckily it still retained some CO2 and wasn't completely ruined. I've stopped using solid bungs on my carboys after that incident.

 

[oogaboogachiefwalkingdeer]

Don't think is was a ferment problem I am sure it was from temp swings. The wines were all about ten months old and has been stabilized a couple months.

I read in an old wine book that the reason you sit upright for a few days is to let compressed air out. So that is how I do it and never had a problem except for the rubber ones. Just another step in good wine making.