How long to soak corks for wine

Long soaking does the same thing. Corks can soak up sulphite solutions and transfer them to the wine. Once you have opened a bag of corks, you may need to take special care of the unused corks.

However, there is a nifty technique that you can take advantage of, if you your corks are brittle either from age or low-humidity storage.

You will need a sanitized plastic bucket and lid, an empty wine bottle, and a 1. Fill the wine bottle halfway with the solution, and carefully stand it up in the bottom of the bucket.

Gently pour your corks into the bucket, filling the space around the bottle, and put the lid on tightly. Leave the bucket in a room-temperature area for about a week. The sulphur dioxide gas coming off the liquid will prevent the growth of moulds or spoilage organisms, keeping the corks sanitary. No further treatment of the corks will be necessary before bottling. That way your corks will always be ready for use.

Corkers There are several types of corkers available. We highly recommend a floor corker with jaws that compress the cork in an irising motion. Other corkers twin lever, single lever, and compression corkers rely on human muscles to compress the cork and push it into the bottles. Floor corkers, while more expensive, use levers and mechanical advantage to carefully compress the corks and insert them precisely into the bottles.

They also hold the bottles steady in a spring-loaded base. They are really worth the extra money. Loose Ends After the corks have been inserted into the bottles it's a good idea to dry the top of the cork off with a clean cloth.

This will prevent any moisture from forming mould there. Don't miss a thing! Take your winemaking skills to the next level. Be inspired by an annual subscription to WineMaker print magazine. Delivered right to your mailbox. Pricing for U. Wine Wizard. Join the WineMaker Community Get it all! Join the Digital Membership Take your winemaking skills to the next level. Press all of the air out and zip it closed. Leave in the sanitizing solution according to the times indicated above.

The second means of sanitizing is not desirable even though it is easier. Boiling the corks. Boiling will do an effective job of sanitizing but it will cause the corks to be brittle and increase the likelihood that the corks will break off in the bottle. Leave them in an up-right position for a minimum of two weeks.

During this time, the pressure in the bottle may push the corks up.