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How
To Choose The Best Cork
Cork is manufactured
from the bark of the cork oak tree indigenous to Portugal and Spain.
It takes many years for cork oak trees to yield quality cork. This
is the reason why good cork is so expensive. When it was first discovered
that cork could be used as a closure for wine bottles it was a boom
for the industry. Vintners could now bottle their wine and store
it over long periods of time without fear of spoilage. Cork is the
traditional closure for wine, but experts will tell you that it
may not be the best closure available. Modern synthetic corks and
stoppers make a better seal and virtually eliminate the off-flavours
sometimes associated with natural cork. There is a major thrust
by commercial wineries to find a suitable replacement for cork.
Bad cork is costing them millions of dollars a year in spoilage.
You can expect to see more wineries using synthetic corks in the
near future as high grade cork becomes harder to find. Unlike commercial
wineries, the cost of using cork is not a big factor for us. If
we get a couple of “corky” wines we are only out a couple of bucks
or so. It is also possible that as commercial wineries move to alternative
closures there will be more reasonably priced quality cork available
to amateur wine makers. So home vintners can still partake in the
pleasure of pulling a real cork from their bottle of wine without
much trepidation. At Brewery Lane we carry two types of cork– agglomerate
and solid. We are also testing synthetic corks which we hope to
make available soon. The agglomerate cork is composed of granules
of cork glued together. There are two grades available. Regular
agglomerate corks are inexpensive and intended for short storage
of less than 1 year. Winery agglomerate corks have been designed
for commercial wineries and can be used for storage of up to 5 years.
Solid corks come in two types; collimated and natural. Collimated
corks are solid corks that have been filled and polished to cover
defects. These are intended for short term storage of 2 years or
less. Natural cork is solid cork without any cosmetic finishes.
Natural cork can be found in several grades and can be used for
storage of up to 10 years or more depending on the grade you choose.
So the decision is really yours. If you intend to keep your wine
for only short periods of time, say 6 months or less, then it really
does not matter which type of closure you use. The type of closure
becomes more important if you intend to age your wines. Over the
past 2 years I have been conducting an experiment. I bottled a batch
of wine using different corks. The results have been quite revealing.
I found that all the wine bottled using lower grade agglomerate
and collimated corks to be inferior and sometimes undrinkable after
2 years. The same wine sealed with winery agglomerate corks was
quite good. The wine sealed with high quality natural solid cork
was the best and seemed to have a smoother character. My advice
is to use the best cork available if you intend to age your wine
for extended periods. You may also want to consider synthetic corks.
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HOT
TIP!
Running out
of wine rack space? Use your cartons.
It happens to every wine maker. Our enthusiasm for the hobby
usually results in an abundance of wine. When this happens
we often run out of wine rack space. In a pinch you can use
the carton that your wine bottles came in. Make sure that
the carton still has its dividers intact. Just fill the box
with your bottles of wine and turn it on its side. Presto!
An instant wine rack. Note: this is only good for temporary
storage. As soon as you have wine rack space available you
should use it. If you take bottles from the box while on its
side it will become unstable and may topple over. This could
result in loss of precious wine.
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Grand
Cru Monthly Specials
Merlot
Liebfraumilch
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Information
for Beginners
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Shop
Online at Clickabrew
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New at Brewery Lane
Signature
Series 2002 Just released! BC Pinot Noir from the South Okanagan
Valley. Full bodied and rich. Pinot Noir has a soft, velvety texture
and substantial flavour comprised of black currant, cherry and raspberry.
This hearty red wine is sure to create a lasting impression. This
Signature Series release contains 16 litres of exceptional 100%
varietal grape juice with absolutely no added sugars and a minimum
of the highest quality concentrate—surpassing current standards
of excellence in wine kits.
Wine/Beer Agitator. A stainless steel stirrer that attaches
to an electric drill to effortlessly stir your juice or wort. Great
for degassing wine. This really foams up your juice or wort during
the initial mixing stage, introducing oxygen which is vital for
healthy yeast growth.
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