Wine-Corking Machines Key Terms

Learn the terms associated with wine-corking equipment

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.

 

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

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