Whether you own a large scale winery or you are just starting out in the business, it is essential to know the basics of working with a corking machine. Wine corking machines come in all shapes and sizes. There are industrial sized machines for large wineries, and there are small wineries for other businesses. Regardless of the size, most business owners choose a manual corking machine or an automatic corking machine.

To find the best resources for wine education and training, it is important to look at all of the available sources. Cork manufacturers, wholesalers, wine educators and professional associations all offer great information for operating the latest pieces of machinery. When looking for wine corking machines education and training, remember to:

1. Ask your cork supplier for any corking machine wine classes or information they may offer.

2. Look for automatic corker educational opportunities through your wholesalers or suppliers.

3. Check out professional corking machine associations and educational organizations for the newest information.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Find wine cork machine educational materials from cork suppliers

Cork suppliers, manufactures and wholesalers all offer useful training and educational opportunities for their customers. Every cork company wants to ensure that their product is used correctly, and cork uses can vary. In fact, there are different types of corks for different variations of wine.

I recommend: Sigillo corks can be used in most corking machines. Check out its site for additional information and tips on how to correctly use a wine corking machine. For information about the proper use and care of your corking machine visit Cork Supply.

Get training information from auto wine corker wholesalers

Many wine equipment wholesalers know that their customers are in need of training, educational articles and tips. Your wholesaler or distributor is sure to be able to offer you some sort of educational assistance for using your wine corking machine.

I recommend: St. Pat’s offers a selection of corking machine manuals via its website. Simply visit the bottling section under corker’s manuals and parts. For corking machine educational articles check out Vino Maker.

Attend a class and become familiar with wine corking machine operations

Whether you choose to attend a wine making boot camp or a brief wine corking class, you are sure to find the education that you are looking for. Wine corking machines can be difficult to operate, so it is essential to become familiar with their functions and quality control guidelines.

I recommend: For classes on corking and all other things wine, pay a visit to Affairs of the Wine. Check out the Cork Quality Council for quality control guidelines for using and automatic wine corker and other wine corking machines.

Wine corking machines are essential for all wineries regardless of size. Thankfully, there are several distributors of wine cork machine options to help you find the right wine corking tool for your business.

Types and styles of wine corking machines range from automatic corking machine options to a manual wine corking machine. Consider the following before you invest in corking equipment:

1. How much money your winery has to invest on wine corking machines.

2. How many bottles your winery produces and how fast you need to cork them.

3. The durability you require of your wine corker machine.

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Use wine corking machines for your small business or home winery

If you have a small winery or are making wine at home, a manual wine corking machine will be the most cost-efficient for your business. These models are manual, so will take a bit more labor to use, but are designed to make the process as easy as possible. There are several models available.

I recommend: If you are only going to cork a few bottles at a time, a hand corker, offered by E.C. Kraus, will probably be sufficient. If you plan to cork up to 50 bottles at a time, a bench model corking machine, available at Midwest Homebrewing & Winemaking Supplies, will be easier to use.

Search out a wine bottle corking machine for your medium-sized winery

If you are a medium-sized winery, then you will need to invest more into your corking machine. Wine will be preserved quicker and the corking process will involve less manual labor. If you choose to use a manual corker, make sure that it is durable enough to endure several uses.

I recommend: Think of getting a Big Red pneumatic corking machine from Adventures in Homebrewing. An Italian floor corker is heavy-duty enough for a medium-sized winery and can be purchased through HomeBrewIt.com.

Invest in industrial corking equipment for large commercial wineries

If you have a mass-production winery, you will need an automatic wine corker to keep up with your volume. While these are much more expensive than other models, they will also last longer and can cork hundreds of bottles in an hour. There are models that are used solely for corking or, if your budget allows, opt for models that will both fill the wine and cork it.

I recommend: Check out the automatic corking machine at Durfo or a machine that will both fill the bottles and cork them at Napa Fermentation.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Many wineries have started to invest in screw caps to keep wine from spoiling from bad corks. Investigate this option before you invest in corking equipment.
• •  If you are considering expanding, but don't have the money for a high-priced machine, search around for used wine corking machines and you may find a deal.

Thousands of years ago the ancient Egyptians first used a cork as a stopper in a bottle. Their bottles were likely hand corked. Today there are many different ways to cork a bottle, and corks are most often used to seal in the flavor and aroma of a good bottle of wine. Wine-corking machines come in a variety of sizes. Some are manual, semi-automatic or automatic, but they all serve the same purpose. Before you purchase a wine-corking machine for your business it is important to understand the key vocabulary terms that are associated with these machines.

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Hand corker

A hand corker is a manual machine. It's popular with hobbyists and home winemakers, but it's also used in small vineyards. A hand corker works with single or twin levers and bodily force to cork a bottle.

I recommend: To learn more about a hand-corking machine check out SomethingWine.com.

Bench corker

A bench corker is another type of wine-corking machine and is mounted to a flat surface for use. Bench corkers are also a type of manual corking machine.

I recommend: For information on bench corkers visit Kraus Sales.

Floor corker

Floor corkers are large commercial-sized machines. They work semi-automatically with the combined use of muscle pressure and levers to compress and insert a cork.

I recommend: Midwest Homebrewing & Winemaking Supplies has information and a drawing of a floor corker.

Electric corker

The electric corker is an alternative type of wine-corking machine. It offers automatic features and quick-corking capabilities. It can use both synthetic and natural corks.

I recommend: The latest electric corker facts can be found at MoreWinePro.

Hopper

A hopper is part of a wine-corking machine. It's the section of the machine that holds the corks prior to insertion in the bottle. It is important that the hopper is kept clean at all times, and you know which type of corks to use in a specific machine.

I recommend: CorkFacts.com notes the importance of cleaning the hopper.

Screw-cap machine

Screw caps used to be associated with a cheap bottle of wine, but they are slowly becoming popular in the high-quality end of the industry as well. Screw-cap machines are similar to wine-corking machines, and they have the same function. Instead of inserting a cork these machines place a cap on a bottle of wine. These caps are similar to the tops that are found on soda bottles. They are quick and easy to use, and they are an alternative to corking.

I recommend: For information about screw-cap machines and how to use them, visit Busch Machinery.

The type of wine corking machine that will best suit your business depends mostly on the volume of wine you produce at any one time. If you only need to cork a few bottles here and there, you can get away with a manual corking tool that won't cost you much money upfront. However, if your business is solely making and selling wine, investing in a larger, automatic wine corker may be a better fit.

It is important to weigh time versus money when choosing wine corking machines types and styles. If a more expensive wine bottle corking machine will save you and your employees enough time to increase your production, then the choice is obvious. Consider the following when choosing the appropriate corking equipment for your business:

1. A manual wine corking tool cost the least but requires the most manual labor.
2. A pneumatic wine bottle corking machine is ideal for a mid-sized wine business.
3. Large wineries will benefit the most from industrial automatic wine corking machines that can cork hundreds of bottles each hour.
   

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Use a handheld manual wine corking machine for a small wine business

A handheld wine corker machine is ideal for someone who makes wine as a hobby or as a small part of a business. A handheld manual corking machine requires more physical labor and can only cork one bottle at a time. This type of corking equipment is the least expensive of all wine corking equipment, but is also the least efficient if you need to cork several bottles at a time.

I recommend: E.C. Kraus outlines the benefits of its handheld manual wine corking tool. Alternative Beverage describes how to use a manual wine corking machine. Wine bottles with traditional corks work the best with these handheld wine corking tools.

Purchase a pneumatic corking machine for a mid-sized winery

Pneumatic wine corking machines rely on air pressure to insert the cork into the wine bottle. Although most pneumatic models only do one bottle at a time, little effort is required on the part of you or your employee to cork the bottles. The bottle is placed in a chamber, the door is closed, and the pressure from the air compressor completes the corking. This style of wine corking machine would be a great fit for a small winery that can't afford an industrial corker, but needs a corking machine that is fast and efficient.

I recommend: Adventures in Homebrewing explains the benefits of a pneumatic wine corking machine. Framax displays two types of semi-automatic pneumatic corking machines.

Invest in an industrial automatic wine corker for large wine businesses

Automatic wine corking machines are intended for large wineries that need to cork many bottles at a time. They are the most expensive type of corking machine, but if making wine is your primary business, the investment will pay off when the corking process is expedited and your employees' time is freed up to complete other tasks.

I recommend: Durfo outlines an automatic corker that can cork up to 700 bottles per hour. Napa Fermentation displays another type of auto wine corker that can cork between 500 and 600 bottles per hour.