Winemaking Made Easy
Technical Bulletin – Wine Bottles Leaking
March 17th, 2009 by robin in wine making
We have been asked on occasion about home winemakers experiencing leaking bottles. As a result we decided to do some research and are sharing what we have learned.
Although we are a strong believer in synthetic corks, we do feel that there is a variety of corks to choose from. Which cork you select, should be influenced by the method of corking you are using. We have discovered that Nomacorc synthetic corks tend to be made of a firmer material than natural cork or some other synthetic corks. As a result, when being used with a floor corking machine that has some wear, the cork can be scored by the machine. This means that a groove is imprinted in the cork itself (see photo below). When the bottle is then laid on its side, wine can leak out by flowing down the groove.
Crease imprinted in cork from floor corker.
This appears to be caused by a combination of factors. First, is that when a floor corker starts to wear, the fittings that compress the cork begin to fall out of alignment on occasion. This can cause an imprint on the cork. When this happens to a Nomacorc, the hardness of the material makes it more difficult to rebound from the compression, allowing the groove to remain.
In light of this, we recommend using Nomacorc corks with hand corkers and table top corkers. If you have a floor corker and use it frequently, we recommend speaking to your wine supply store about a winery grade synthetic cork.
Tags: floor corker, leaking wine bottle, nomacorc, synthetic cork, synthetic corks
Thank you for your review on Nomacorc. I wanted to let you all know of a quick fix to the scoring issues that are encountered when using a floor corker. We have found that if you remove the brass jaws, and take a metal file to the sharp edges and file the edges off just enough to make the edges slightly rounded, that it solves the problem.
Please don’t hesitate to contact me with any questions wward@nomacorc.com
I saw this posting too late, after I saw a b0lack stain and white “beard” on the end of a few bottles I had corked with these synthetic corks. THe cork was scored exactly as the one you show. I will try the fix suggested by Nomacorc, but in the meantime, can I drink my Chardonnay without worry? It smells and tastes great.
Hi Nancy. If air or other bacteria fouled the wine, it would be off-taste and have an order, or the wine would have oxidized and have a heavy amber color. If only a few of the bottles leaked, I’d test those first (smell and taste). Most likely the wine is fine, especially if it looks, smells and tastes great. Cheers!