Cork question

[chris_newton]

Hi all

I have just bottled my first batch of wine and have corked it, i have read on a few sites that after corking you have to leave the bottles standing for 3 days, then after 3 days lay them on there side to stop the corks from drying out and spoiling the wine, is this correct??

Thanks all for your help

chris

 

[Brewman]

That's how I do it. I stand them upright for 3 days first, apparently this allows the cork to "swell" & form a tight seal in the bottle, after being squashed in the corking tool. If you don't allow for this & lay your bottles down straight away after corking, they may "weep" a little.

 

[chris_newton]

i think i will do that then, i will lay them down in a wine rack or something, so does this not disturb any sediment when you lay them down? although to be honest i dont think there is any sediment in them as they look really clear.

 

[grinchy]

There shouldn't be any sediment at the bottling stage unless you have managed to catch a bit when siphoning, so it shouldn't be a problem.

I have only had one or two 'weep' when i have not managed to leave them standing, and to be honest i put that down to the fact that i had used tapered corks rather than the preferred straight ones!