On 12/14/03 7:21 AM, in article ,
"Joe Ae" > wrote:

> I am curious what the folks on this forum think. I have looked at some
> recent postings regarding corks. Most discussions I saw were focused on
> synthetic versus cork.
>
> I have asked a couple of wine supply stores whether natural cork or
> agglomerated cork are the better and sure enough I got a different answer.
> The cost are very similar at these stores.
> One vendor claimed the agglomerated corks are only for short term storage.
> The natural corks can hold together for much longer storage. The longer
> natural corks are the best for long term storage.
> The other vendor told me natural corks can have defects due to the
> manufacturing process he prefers agglomerated.
>
> Joe


The important thing is to not use cheap corks. I find the standard ones
available as the least expensive in the winemaking stores to be inferior and
tend to crumble apart.

Actually, I have tried a few different kinds of corks and have recently
settled on using the sandwich type corks. These have an agglomerated middle
and disks of natural cork on the ends. I have been using these for over a
year now and find them to seal great. I also find the ends of the corks are
smoother and more blemish free than typical natural corks.

I usually order them from Grape and Granery - not that I am specifically
endorsing their site over others, but here is a link to their web page with
a picture of the corks.

http://www.thegrape.net/browse.cfm/4,9679.html


--
Greg Cook
http://homepage.mac.com/gregcook/Wine

(remove spamblocker from my email)