Last Updated on February 15, 2022 by Tom
The Best Wine Corker Reviews, Tips, and Buying Guide
If you’re a wine lover, you know the importance of using the best wine corker A good wine corker can make opening and closing bottles of wine a breeze. But with so many different types and brands of wine corkers on the market, it can be hard to know which one is right for you. In this blog post, we’ll discuss the pros and cons of some of the most popular wine corkers on the market, so that you can decide which one is best for you.
What is a wine corker?
A wine corker is a tool used to insert corks into wine bottles. It usually consists of a metal cage that holds the cork still while you compress it with a plunger handle. Some models have the option of an electric motorized action, while some are hand-powered. There are also less expensive models that simply have a bottle cap that you place over the cork and then pull a lever.
List of The Best Wine Corker on Amazon in 2022
There are many different wine corkers on the market, and it can be difficult to decide which one is best for you. In this blog post, we will compare two popular wine corkers and help you decide which one is the best fit for your needs.
Different Types of Corks for Wine Bottles
In addition to the traditional wine cork, there are a number of other styles that have been developed in an effort to resolve some of the problems associated with natural corks. In general these alternate stoppers offer superior performance and have made their way into more and more markets. This article will cover the various types of modern wine bottle closures available commercially today.
Natural Corks:
Because they are grown, harvested and processed by hand, each individual cork is unique in both shape and density. These variations cause a variation in seal quality, which can result in bottles that leak or experience other flavor degradation over time when using natural corks.
The production process for natural corks also affects the quality. Natural corks are actually the bark of Quercus Suber (the Cork Oak), which is stripped from the tree in autumn and winter months. This process can be very difficult on the tree, particularly if it has been harvested too many consecutive years. If this occurs, new shoots will sprout directly through the trunk or main branches of a cork oak.
When harvesting becomes too difficult, due to a dense mat of shoots protruding from cork oaks, farmers often burn their crop. While effective for a few harvests at best, burning the cork strips away any other useable bark as well.
The interior pith of natural corks varies greatly as well for each individual piece to differences in how deeply they are harvested. This inconsistency limits the number of times a natural cork can be reused, while also making them less than ideal for aging wines.
Consequences: Natural corks are porous and allow oxidation to take place in wine bottles, which lowers their quality over time. They are inconsistent in density and therefore don’t always provide an airtight seal with the bottle.
Synthetic Corks:
Man made alternatives to natural corks have been developed in order to solve many of the issues associated with using natural corks. The two main types of synthetic cork closures are agglomerate corks (also called “compressed” or “granulated”) and plastic/synthetic corks (also known as “vino-lok” and Vinolok (both types of plastic corks)).
Agglomerate corks:
Agglomerate corks are made by first shredding natural cork into tiny pieces, then binding them back together to form a dense mat that is compressed under high pressure. This unique style of best wine bottle corker creates an airtight seal between the inside neck of the bottle and the cork itself. The agglomerated particles are held tightly together by an adhesive agent which keeps them from separating, hence preventing any leaks or oxidation. Agglomerated corks can be reused up to 15 times before being recycled.
Consequences: While better than natural corks at keeping out oxidation, agglomerate corks are often inconsistent in quality. Depending on the manufacturer, they can have their own unique characteristics which include being overly porous or being so dense that they have a hard time “popping” out of the bottle at the appropriate time.
Plastic/ Synthetic Corks:
The development of plastic wine closures was spurred by a group of European vintners who were looking for a more consistent and reliable closure than natural corks could offer.
The first synthetic wine bottling cork alternative to be developed in the early 1970’s was Vinolok, which has been replaced with Vino-lok, an identical but trademarked product made from self-coloured polyethylene. This type of wine cork is a single molded piece that is compressed and inserted into a bottle through the neck. Unlike agglomerate corks, plastic corks cannot be reused because they cannot be removed from the bottle once inside.
Consequences: Plastic/ synthetic corks are both airtight and consistent in quality, making them suitable for long term storage of wines.
Champagne/ Sparkling Wine Corks:
The primary difference between natural wood champagne corks and their wine cork counterparts is that champagne corks are twice as long (9-10mm) to account for the higher pressures found in sparkling wines. Because the seal of a sparkling wine bottle relies on a perfect fit between the best wine corker and the neck of the bottle, champagne corks are not as porous as regular wine corks. The average life expectancy for a quality champagne cork is around 35-50 openings (20-30 glasses).
Consequences: Because natural champagne corks do not allow for any air to come in or out of sparkling wines, they do not age sparkling wines at all. They also must be stored upright to remain fully inserted into bottles; laying down can cause them to become stuck inside their bottle.
Grainy (Agglomerate) Cork:
This type of synthetic cork is gaining popularity as an alternative to traditional agglomerate corks because it is less expensive to produce. Grainy corks are produced by a process called “compacting,” where small granules of cork are pressed together into a dense plug that is then inserted into a bottle under high pressure. The name comes from the distinctive grainy appearance of the exterior surface of grainy corks, which makes them easy to distinguish from other types of wine closures.
Consequences: While they can be more consistent in quality than natural corks, grainy corks have been known to impart unwanted flavors and aromas on wines because their porous nature allows oxygen in and out.
They also must be stored upright in order to remain fully inserted into bottles; laying down can cause them to become stuck inside their bottle.
Capped Cork:
A capped cork is a variation on agglomerate corks that is made as a tube with a cap on the end. The bottom of the tube is inserted into a bottle under high pressure and then the cap snaps off, locking it in place inside.
Consequences: Like regular agglomerate corks, they cannot be removed once inside a bottle. Chemicals from best wine bottle corker can leach into the porous material of this type of best wine corker and cause contaminants to build up over time.
Screw Cap:
The screw caps we see today are not necessarily new developments; however, their usage across all wine sectors has certainly increased over the last decade to technological advancements in the production of the caps themselves.
Consequences: Screw caps are not airtight, which allows for some oxygen to interact with wine and can speed up the aging process. They also lack a solid seal, allowing them to be removed easily.
Some studies have shown that screw caps can impart flavors or aromas on wine because of their metal construction. The debate over screw caps’ effect on wines continues, but very few people today would argue that they are inferior to cork closures in quality.
Hermetic Cork- Stoppered Bottles:
This type of closure is just what it sounds like – a bottle that is sealed hermetically through an airtight cork stopper which uses rubber rings for sealing purposes. While this type of closure is not widely used, there are still some wine producers who choose it for economic, environmental or quality reasons.
Consequences: Because hermetic corks do not allow any air to enter or exit a bottle, they have been known to affect wines in negative ways by severely retarding the aging process.
Vino-Lok/ Vinoseal:
The Vinolok and Vinoseal types of closures have been around since the mid 70s as an alternative method for making screw caps. They work by crimping down a cone-shaped piece of metal over the mouth of a bottle through external pressure from either a lever or wing attached to an applicator device. Cork or agglomerate corks are inserted into the metal cone to provide an airtight seal.
Consequences: While they do help to eliminate cork taint, some studies have shown that these closures can also lead to negative effects on wines by adversely affecting aromas and flavors.
Zork:
This type of closure works much like a regular screw cap except that it has a plastic ring inside the top of the cap which creates an airtight seal between it and the mouth of the bottle. The main benefit Zorks have over screw caps is that their thin design allows them to be removed without leaving any trace on bottles. They are widely used for wines with lower price tags because they tend to be more affordable than other options.
Consequences: Like screw caps, Zorks do not create an airtight seal between the bottle and the cap itself. Therefore, they also allow oxygen to interact with wine, which can speed up or inhibit aging processes.
Helix:
The Helix is a newer type of wine closure that has been around since 2006. It works much like a regular screw cap except that it creates an airtight seal between two pieces of metal (instead of only one) by way of small grooves in the cap’s threads. This design helps to prevent leaks while still allowing for screw-cap-style removal without any trace left on the bottle.
Consequences: Much like other types of screw caps, wines stored under Helix closures are open to the same types of potential adverse effects, including oxygen exposure.
Crown Cap:
This type of closure has been around since the invention of bottled beer in 1892. They are most commonly seen on bottles of sparkling wines and beers throughout the world because they allow carbon dioxide gas to escape while keeping out any external elements.
Consequences: Like other types of screw caps, the Crown cap is not airtight, so external factors like oxygen can interact with wines stored under it.
Tasting Cork:
This type of closure has been around since natural cork was first used on wine bottles in 1780. It consists of a regular cork that is spongier and more porous than regular stopper types. This design allows the bottle to be opened and closed without affecting the wine, but still allows for some air exposure in order to facilitate proper oxidization.
Factors to Consider Before buying the Best Wine Corker:
1. Style of Corking Machine:
Do you want a Bench Mounted or Floor Model? Your level of expertise will largely determine the best machine for you to buy.
If you are new to using the best wine corker, a bench mounted corker is going to be easier to use and operate. If on the other hand, you are an experienced corker, then a floor model may give you more power and control.
2. How Much Cork Do You Need:
Do you need a single or double cork? A lot of times the answer to this question is determined by how many bottles of wine you intend on opening in one day or if you want your corker to be multi-functional and able to handle other types of bottles like beer and sparkling wine.
3. Manual vs Automatic:
This basically boils down to how much time you want to spend each day operating your machine. If it’s just for personal use, then manual machines will work just fine for you; however, if your business requires that everyone operate their own corker, then an automatic corkscrew will be a better option.
4. Portability:
If you intend on traveling with your corker or if space is limited around your home bar, then portability of your machine is going to be another very important factor for you to consider before buying one. All of the machines listed below are lightweight and easily portable.
5. Ease of Use/Maintenance:
The last thing that you want in a wine opener is for it to break down after frequent use or not having parts available when they are needed most.
The best wine opener should be very easy to use with little maintenance required after purchasing it. Be sure that all replacement parts are readily available before making your purchase.
The Pros and Cons of best wine corker:
PROS:
- Opens all wine bottle types and sizes.
- Easy to use and simple design.
- Auto recharging base for continued usage.
CONS:
Wine corker FAQs:
1. Do I need a wine corker to open a bottle of wine?
No! All you need is a corkscrew and your hands, but if you want an easier way to do it, then getting one of these machines will be well worth your while. These machines take the hard work out of opening up bottles for you so that you can get on with other activities instead of worrying about how much effort it’ll take to get your drink ready after purchasing it.
2. Can I use these corkscrews on sparkling bottles too?
Yes! You should always treat sparkling wines like normal wines when removing their corks because they’re no different from regular wines and beers in this regard (you don’t want to use a machine with this type of action on an unopened bottle because of the carbonated pressure inside it). The more gentle you are with your wine opener, the better chance you have at keeping your sparkling wine bottles good and intact so that they can be enjoyed later on.
3. How do I know which one is best for me?
You need to consider what kind of corks you’re going to open most often and how much money you want to invest into a machine like this. If that process seems too complicated, then just go for one of the cheaper models from the list above as those ones will provide all the functionality you need with none of the extra bells and whistles if those features don’t interest you now or in the future.
Good wine opening machines like these ones will always provide you with a much better cork removal process than simpler options that people often turn to when they don’t care how easy it is to open up their drink, but need all of the help they can get when it comes to removing corks in general.
Conclusion on Best wine corker
You should choose one of the best wine corker! The most popular product on our list is the Laguiole Corkscrew. It has an ergonomic design that will make your life easier when you are trying to open a bottle of wine, and it also comes with a lifetime warranty, so it’s worth every penny.
We’ve included some other great products for sale as well based on customer reviews or ratings- they’re all high quality items at competitive prices. If you have any questions about which corkscrew would be right for you, give us a call today!
