BP 53 - 45141 Saint Jean de la Ruelle cedex, France Tél (33) 2 38 88 23 12 - Fax (33) 2 38 88 68 96

Storing the corks

Cork is sensitive to heat, cold and damp and retains odours. It is recommended that corks be stored in a clean, dry and well-ventilated place, odour-free and away from agricultural and petroleum products, in premises which do not contain any treated wood.

The temperature of the storage premises must be between 15 and 25°C and the relative humidity between 50 and 65 %. The corks must be prepared in these conditions at least 24 hours before bottling.

Use of cold corks will adversely affect water-tightness and use of hot corks can cause faults in positioning.

The corks should not be kept for longer than 6 months after delivery.

Preparation for bottling

Empty bottles must be stored in a clean and temperate place. They must be properly drained after rinsing.

It is recommended that the wine be brought up to 15°C. At lower temperatures, the level can no longer be correctly adjusted and the risk of subsequent seepage from the bottle will be increased.

The filling level of the bottles must be adjusted according to the temperature of the wine so that at 20°C it is in conformity with the nominal value.

The old practice of corking by “overfilling” must not be used.

The compression diameter of the corks must be between 15.5 and 16 mm with a maximum rate of 1500 bottles/hour/head and the cork should be positioned level with the mouth of the bottle.

It is essential that corking be done by the vacuum or CO2 method and that bottles are left upright for at least 3 min. after corking.

At the end of the run, all parts of the corking unit must be cleaned.

Finally, the corks remaining in the hopper of the corking unit following a run should be removed.