Thread: Mold on cork
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[email protected] marcortins@verizon.net is offline
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Default Mold on cork

On Dec 19, 2:58 pm, wrote:
> > I have seen similar things with some port bottles. My first question
> > is: what type of corks are you using? my second question is: is it
> > possible that you left a wine residue on the top of the cork? Once
> > the sufite reacts off, any remaining wine on the outside surface of
> > the cork could certainly mold up if mold is in the air. Remedy
> > options 1) clean the corks and bottle tops with b-brite or something.
> > Possiblly use a light solution of bleach as a last resort 2) remove
> > the corks and replace them with new corks. Before removing the old
> > cork, use a 10% bleach solution to kill anything there. Let the
> > bleach stand wet for 10 minutes, then rinse well. This will prevent
> > contanimation into the new closure.
> > If you are really worried, option 2 is the most conservative, but 1 is
> > pretty easy and you can do them all at once.
> > BTW, how do you know that it is mold? Maybe it is mildew. Maybe it is
> > dried seepage past the cork? you could see the latter since it is a
> > clear glass bottle.

>
> It could very well be mildew... They have a bit of a mildew smell to
> them?? There really is no sepage... What I'm noticeing is along the
> cork on its sides. The top of the corks are dry and appear fine. They
> are the best real corks I could get from st. pats... Put in with an
> Itialian floor corker.
> I like your sugestion on useing bleach. I fill my bottles with a
> small hose and it is possible I had wine residue along the neck of the
> bottle and that is molding/mildewing?? Do you usually wipe the inside
> of the necks down before you sink the corks?


OK. now I am confused. you are saying that the offending substance is
on length of the cork, and you can see it through the bottle. I
thought it was on the end. Bleach wont help you, since you cant get
the bleach there. You're sufiting your corks, right? Are you using
the natural corks? I use the natural corks for my port because
supposedly they were 7 year corks compared to the shorter life
aglomerated corks that I normally use. I must say, however, that the
aglomerated corks don't give me the problem like the other natural
corks, since the natural corks i get aren't of the highest quality.
try a new cork. I don;t think you can grow mold or mildew between the
cork and glass. I'll ask around, but if the cork is clean and the
glass is clean, there is nothing there to grow. hmmmm....