The Mighty Zork!
Posted by Bill on Saturday, May 9, 2009
When I bottled the Sandhills Red that I described in my last post, I went with a new closure just recently made available to the amateur market, the Zork. Simple to clean, simple to use and simple to open. These do not leak and they eliminate the need for that extra step I always took of putting a shrink-wrap over the cork. Plus, they can be used to re-cork that unfinished bottle once opened.
They are a bit pricey, but they have an advantage for me that I didn't even think about when I ordered them: they work on beer bottles! And they are not that much in price difference from Nomacorks (synthetic corks) that I use regularly.
No, they won't hold pressure, but since being diagnosed as diabetic, I'm going to need to be consuming my wine in smaller quantities, so I bottled several 187ml bottles and a couple of beer bottles with these Zorks along with my usual 750 ml bottles.
I have used beer bottles in the past for wine, utilizing a #7 cork and a hand corker, but they never really looked right to me and so it was usually a one or two bottle thing when I got to the end of my bottling bucket and saw I wouldn't be able to fill a full bottle.
And since I stopped bottling my beer and began kegging it a few years back, I am sitting on a lot of beer bottles. I am thinking that my next batch due for the bottle in a couple of weeks (a Peach Wine made from, canned peaches, of all things!) will be about 50% in beer bottles especially since they look nicer with the Zork. BTW, I racked the peach wine today and had a little sip....it is surprisingly good! I'll try canned apricots next!
I got my Zorks from Midwest Supply. I looked and didn't see them at any of my other routine suppliers, but they might be available elsewhere.
They are a bit pricey, but they have an advantage for me that I didn't even think about when I ordered them: they work on beer bottles! And they are not that much in price difference from Nomacorks (synthetic corks) that I use regularly.
No, they won't hold pressure, but since being diagnosed as diabetic, I'm going to need to be consuming my wine in smaller quantities, so I bottled several 187ml bottles and a couple of beer bottles with these Zorks along with my usual 750 ml bottles.
I have used beer bottles in the past for wine, utilizing a #7 cork and a hand corker, but they never really looked right to me and so it was usually a one or two bottle thing when I got to the end of my bottling bucket and saw I wouldn't be able to fill a full bottle.
And since I stopped bottling my beer and began kegging it a few years back, I am sitting on a lot of beer bottles. I am thinking that my next batch due for the bottle in a couple of weeks (a Peach Wine made from, canned peaches, of all things!) will be about 50% in beer bottles especially since they look nicer with the Zork. BTW, I racked the peach wine today and had a little sip....it is surprisingly good! I'll try canned apricots next!
I got my Zorks from Midwest Supply. I looked and didn't see them at any of my other routine suppliers, but they might be available elsewhere.
Tags: zork peach nomacork
