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  • Corking Issue

    I bottled five gallons of Rioja a few weeks ago and, as usual, let them stand upright for a few days then put them into a wine rack on their sides. I used conglomerate corks as I don't expect to keep this batch long. They were not soaked before insertion which was with my Italian floor corker. Normally I put on shrink caps but this time I wanted to keep an eye on them. Sure enough, after about a week, two of the corks are showing signs of seepage. One has a small streak of purple right across the cork, top to bottom, so I assume the wine is escaping through the side of the cork. The other has a small pimple of sticky purple goo just off centre.
    I would be interested to know what others think about this. Will the seepage cause the wine in the bottle to be damaged? Is it best to leave shrink caps off till any seepage issues are identified or would the caps have prevented the problem? Would soaking the corks have avoided the problem? Should I just always buy better corks? Do others have a different approach to corking? I think Cellar Rat was experimenting with wax seals some time ago.
    Cheers,
    Dave.
    If I won the lottery I'd spend half the money on wine, women and song.
    But I'd probably just waste the rest of it!

  • #2
    I have the same approach as you Dave and get occasional seepage in this way. I usually clean the top with a bit of kitchen towel with sulphite and see if it comes back. If it doesn't then fine, if it does then I drink those bottles first.
    I don't soak the corks but I do try and corkidor (http://www.winesathome.co.uk/forum/s...light=corkidor) them first so that they don't dry out.
    Simon
    "I can certainly see that you know your wine. Most of the guests who stay here wouldn't know the difference between Bordeaux and Claret." - Basil Fawlty

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    • #3
      You might find after the seepage they have sealed up.

      There are many grades of cork and you need to think "How long?" before corking.
      Some are good cheap and quick to fit. Others more expensive, but will last a lot longer.
      I like composite with a slither of real corker at each end.

      Wax actually stops them form breathing completely - so are sort of defeatng the reason for using cork..
      Gluten free, caffeine free, dairy free, fat free – you gotta love this red wine diet!

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