Crumbled Cork Wine Bottle
You have a bottle of wine that’s ready to be opened. You try to open it with a corkscrew, but suddenly it crumbles. Does this mean the wine is bad? Or worse, can the cork pieces make you sick?
The good news, if you separate the wine from the pieces, it will still be ok. The bad news is you’ll have to enjoy the wine a lot faster because of oxidation. Read on to see what happens if the cork crumbles and what to do about it.
What Does It Mean When Cork is Crumbled on a Wine Bottle?
The cork crumbling into the wine can happen to everyone. It doesn’t mean that the wine is not drinkable. Put the wine through a fine mesh sleeve, so you don’t get any remaining cork.
Is Wine Compromised If the Cork Crumbles?
The wine will have to be drunk sooner if you do not preserve it properly. Otherwise, because of the oxidation, wine can sometimes change in quality. However, sometimes this is not the case as it’s still considered sealed, meaning the quality may still be very good.
So, keep an open mind when you have a glass of wine if the cork crumbles. It may be one of the best you’ve tasted.
Why Does the Cork Crumble in a Wine Bottle?
Here are some reasons why a cork may crumble in the wine bottle:
Cork was faulty
This may be the most common reason the cork crumbles. It may have been the wrong shape when pushed into the bottle.
Humidity Factors
Humidity matters with corking wine bottles. The cork can dry out and crumble if there isn’t enough humidity. So, it’s important that there is enough when bottling wines.
Storage Problems
If wine is put in an upward position that you see in stores when it is bottled, there’s a good chance that the cork will crumble. This is because the liquid may not keep the cork at a level where it won’t dry out.
Age of the wine
They say wine tastes better with age. But some older wines may have a cork issue because of their age.
How Do You Get a Crumbled Cork Out of a Wine Bottle?
Here are some handy tips to get a crumbled (broken) cork out of the wine bottle:
Twist the rest of the cork out of the bottle
This is one of the safest ways of getting the crumbled cork out of the bottle. Usually, it’ll almost break in half, so you’ll still have a cork stuck on the bottom. Next, you can try using a fork or knife to make the cork sink into the wine.
After this, the bottle will be opened. First, however, you’ll need to put the wine through a fine sieve so that you don’t get cork pieces in your mouth.
Use a nail
If the cork is broken off, you can try using an actual nail to get the rest of the cork out. You can try to “pry” the cork out with a hammer after the nail is in the cork. After it’s out, you’ll need to make sure there aren’t any cork pieces in the wine.
How To Preserve Wine Inside of the Bottle With Crumbled Cork?
Dealing with a pesky cork is troublesome, but it doesn’t mean you have to remove your wine. After you separate the wine from the cork pieces, you can get the wine back into the bottle.
Here’s how:
Use a Funnel to put the wine back into a bottle.
It will be easier to pour the wine back into the bottle using a funnel.
Use a Wine Stopper
Since the cork is broken, it’ll be impossible to re-use that. However, wine stoppers will preserve the wine in the same bottle for 3-5 days if chilled. If you do not want the wine to be chilled, drink the wine within two days.
Final Thoughts on Crumbled Cork on a Wine Bottle
Restaurants sometimes sell wine that’s been in a bottle with a cork damaged. Often, they don’t tell you because the quality may not have been compromised.
With that said, you can still save your wine if you run into a faulty cork. So now that you know how to save the wine, why not enjoy a glass?
