Great video. I've been using the plastic corks and found now that I'm ageing my sparkling wines that they don't hold the carbonation more than 4 years. Thank you.
I have this corker and can verify that this is NOT a champagne cork corker, even though it is marketed as such (reason why I bought it in the first place). Standard size for champagne/sparkling wine corks are 48 mm high x 30.5 mm Ø. This corker deals tearing to the bottom of the cork as it is pushed into the bottle. The damaged cork is then in contact with the wine or whatever you have bottled. You "can" cork. You are able, but I wouldn't recommend it. I'd say it is perfect for smaller corks as used/shown in this video for corking f. ex. beer with a mushroom type cork. But for the standard sparkling wine cork size it is not good.
Hi. Great video =) Small question: Do you sterilize the corks before you use them or is that obsolete and a rinse is enough? If you do, would Star San be ok, or should one go for something else?
Great question! Yes, I think sanitizing the corks is a good idea. I think winemakers usually use sulfites to sanitize their corks. I’m a homebrewer, so I use StarSan or iodophor. Cheers!
will this replace a tosti asti or asti spumante cork back in its bottle. Is the recorker big enough to handle these cork bottles so I can enjoy my mimosas for breakfast over a month of Sundays without losing sparkle?
I’m not sure how well it would handle putting the original cork back in the bottle, but the worse problem would be oxidation (staling) and loss of carbonation (just like a 2-liter bottle of soda goes flat after a while). It’s a losing proposition to try to keep a bottle of bubbly for any length of time after it’s been opened. Just invite a few friends and polish it off!
It could be used for a short time, it could withstand 20-30 cork stoppers. Unfortunately, the structure of the frame is weak, deformed. It should not be sold for sparkling cork cork. Unsuitable for that.
I think you made the wrong assumption here. Just because it works on the smaller wine corks is no guarantee that it will work on the larger champagne corks. Plenty of evidence on the net that it doesn't work on the larger corks. I just bought myself the system with the promise that it can accommodate the larger corks, but ten destroyed corks later and not one single successful closure, I am stuck with trying to get a refund on my corker, which I bought with the promise that it can do champagne corks. I think the fact that there is not a single video on TH-cam that shows this machine doing a corking with the larger corks tells its own story.
*SIGH* Okay, so yes, in the video I used a standard #9 wine cork to demonstrate, because they’re cheap and I have lots of them. BUT!... I show in the video a Belgian beer bottle that I previously corked a with a Belgian cork. Now, granted, there is a slight difference in the size of a Belgian cork and a champagne cork, with the Belgian being 25.5mm and the champagne typically 30mm. But the champagne corker that I have compresses the cork down to smaller than the size if the mouth of the bottle. I admit I’m making an assumption here, but I’m pretty sure that it’ll do fine with champagne corks as it does with Belgian corks. I’ve never had occasion to make a sparkling wine, but I guess I’m gonna have to do some just to prove to myself and to the winemaking community that it’ll work! Stay tuned, and thanks for the input!
OH LOOK! Somebody has already done it for me! Check out this video fro the Grape and Granary, using the exact same model that I own! th-cam.com/video/RBDjWPZ0uNg/w-d-xo.html Cheers and good luck, buddy!
Dimeon van Rooyen btw, can you send me a link or some info on the Corker that you’re having trouble with? Maybe we can put our heads together to identify the problem.
Hi Cecil. I think my corker is identical to yours. Here are some links to people who have bought the same corker and were not very happy. www.homebrewtalk.com/forum/threads/champagne-floor-corker-issues.387477/ and www.amazon.com/NorthernBrewer-HOZQ8-1676-Champagne-Floor-Corker/dp/B074Q73DM6/ref=pd_sbs_328_4?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B074Q73DM6&pd_rd_r=K88RNYXR8807Z7204VMA&pd_rd_w=DLEHg&pd_rd_wg=JcIHm&psc=1&refRID=K88RNYXR8807Z7204VMA However, I have done some more testing and it turns out that the size of the mouth of the champagne bottle also plays a role. Some bottles accept the cork from the corker while with others, the cork is completely destroyed. So not all champagne bottles are created equally. You therefore have to be sure that your corks and bottles are compatible before you bottle. Lastly, with a wine cork, there is not as much compression as with the big champagne cork. When you compress it this much, the freshness of the cork also plays a big role. I see that manufacturers say that you should not be using corks that are older than 6 months. My corks were a bit older than that. So, I think that a combination of these factors lead to the corker not performing as expected.
This is one of the most helpful videos we’ve found online showing how the champagne cork is installed! Great info! Thanks for sharing
Thanks, Khristy Co! I’m glad you found it helpful! Best wishes!
Just picked this exact corker up on Facebook for free; this was super helpful thanks
You just saved me a huge headache. Thanks for pointing out the differences, I'll be grabbing one of these instead.
Very good....... Explained so clearly. Thank you ..... from an Italian ...... Bravo Cecil..... 👍🏻🤗
Great video. I've been using the plastic corks and found now that I'm ageing my sparkling wines that they don't hold the carbonation more than 4 years. Thank you.
Thanks a lot, I wasn't sure if the one I saw online was for champagne bottles but now I can be sure !
I have this corker and can verify that this is NOT a champagne cork corker, even though it is marketed as such (reason why I bought it in the first place). Standard size for champagne/sparkling wine corks are 48 mm high x 30.5 mm Ø. This corker deals tearing to the bottom of the cork as it is pushed into the bottle. The damaged cork is then in contact with the wine or whatever you have bottled. You "can" cork. You are able, but I wouldn't recommend it.
I'd say it is perfect for smaller corks as used/shown in this video for corking f. ex. beer with a mushroom type cork. But for the standard sparkling wine cork size it is not good.
Hi. Great video =) Small question: Do you sterilize the corks before you use them or is that obsolete and a rinse is enough? If you do, would Star San be ok, or should one go for something else?
Great question! Yes, I think sanitizing the corks is a good idea. I think winemakers usually use sulfites to sanitize their corks. I’m a homebrewer, so I use StarSan or iodophor. Cheers!
will this replace a tosti asti or asti spumante cork back in its bottle. Is the recorker big enough to handle these cork bottles so I can enjoy my mimosas for breakfast over a month of Sundays without losing sparkle?
I’m not sure how well it would handle putting the original cork back in the bottle, but the worse problem would be oxidation (staling) and loss of carbonation (just like a 2-liter bottle of soda goes flat after a while). It’s a losing proposition to try to keep a bottle of bubbly for any length of time after it’s been opened. Just invite a few friends and polish it off!
thank you for you video. what is the name of Italian company, where can I buy the corker?
www.northernbrewer.com is one place
www.northernbrewer.com/products/champagne-floor-corker
It could be used for a short time, it could withstand 20-30 cork stoppers.
Unfortunately, the structure of the frame is weak, deformed. It should not be sold for sparkling cork cork. Unsuitable for that.
Thank good
Where can I find this item to buy ?
Vic Vic this is one place:
www.northernbrewer.com/products/champagne-floor-corker
I think you made the wrong assumption here. Just because it works on the smaller wine corks is no guarantee that it will work on the larger champagne corks. Plenty of evidence on the net that it doesn't work on the larger corks. I just bought myself the system with the promise that it can accommodate the larger corks, but ten destroyed corks later and not one single successful closure, I am stuck with trying to get a refund on my corker, which I bought with the promise that it can do champagne corks. I think the fact that there is not a single video on TH-cam that shows this machine doing a corking with the larger corks tells its own story.
*SIGH* Okay, so yes, in the video I used a standard #9 wine cork to demonstrate, because they’re cheap and I have lots of them. BUT!... I show in the video a Belgian beer bottle that I previously corked a with a Belgian cork. Now, granted, there is a slight difference in the size of a Belgian cork and a champagne cork, with the Belgian being 25.5mm and the champagne typically 30mm. But the champagne corker that I have compresses the cork down to smaller than the size if the mouth of the bottle. I admit I’m making an assumption here, but I’m pretty sure that it’ll do fine with champagne corks as it does with Belgian corks.
I’ve never had occasion to make a sparkling wine, but I guess I’m gonna have to do some just to prove to myself and to the winemaking community that it’ll work! Stay tuned, and thanks for the input!
OH LOOK! Somebody has already done it for me! Check out this video fro the Grape and Granary, using the exact same model that I own!
th-cam.com/video/RBDjWPZ0uNg/w-d-xo.html
Cheers and good luck, buddy!
Dimeon van Rooyen btw, can you send me a link or some info on the Corker that you’re having trouble with? Maybe we can put our heads together to identify the problem.
Hi Cecil. I think my corker is identical to yours. Here are some links to people who have bought the same corker and were not very happy. www.homebrewtalk.com/forum/threads/champagne-floor-corker-issues.387477/ and www.amazon.com/NorthernBrewer-HOZQ8-1676-Champagne-Floor-Corker/dp/B074Q73DM6/ref=pd_sbs_328_4?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B074Q73DM6&pd_rd_r=K88RNYXR8807Z7204VMA&pd_rd_w=DLEHg&pd_rd_wg=JcIHm&psc=1&refRID=K88RNYXR8807Z7204VMA However, I have done some more testing and it turns out that the size of the mouth of the champagne bottle also plays a role. Some bottles accept the cork from the corker while with others, the cork is completely destroyed. So not all champagne bottles are created equally. You therefore have to be sure that your corks and bottles are compatible before you bottle. Lastly, with a wine cork, there is not as much compression as with the big champagne cork. When you compress it this much, the freshness of the cork also plays a big role. I see that manufacturers say that you should not be using corks that are older than 6 months. My corks were a bit older than that. So, I think that a combination of these factors lead to the corker not performing as expected.
@@TheBollyers So its the hooded cage that rounds the top of the cork. Cool thanks for sharing.