Corks & Bottle Corkers

Shop wine bottle corks and bottle corkers for sealing homemade wine securely. Choose from natural wine corks for proper bottle ageing, tapered and flanged corks for simple hand insertion, and corking tools for everything from an occasional batch to regular home wine making.

Choosing Wine Bottle Corks

The right closure depends mainly on how long you plan to store the wine and whether you have a corking tool.

• Natural wine corks: the best choice for bottles intended for ageing. These require a suitable wine bottle corker to compress and insert them correctly.
• Tapered corks: easy to insert by hand and useful for wines intended to be enjoyed relatively soon.
• Flanged corks: reusable plastic-topped closures that can be pushed in and removed by hand, making them convenient for short-term storage.

Which Wine Bottle Corker Do I Need?

A hand corker is the lowest-cost option for small batches. A twin-lever bottle corker gives better leverage and makes a typical 30-bottle batch easier, while a floor-standing corker is the most comfortable and consistent choice for frequent wine making or larger bottling runs.

Always check that the cork and corker are suitable for standard cork-finish wine bottles. Keep all bottles, corks and equipment clean, and follow the cork manufacturer's preparation guidance rather than boiling natural corks, which can damage them.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need a corker for wine bottle corks?

Standard straight natural corks need to be compressed with a bottle corker. Tapered and flanged corks are designed for hand insertion and do not normally require a corking tool.

What is the best cork for ageing homemade wine?

A good-quality natural wine cork is the usual choice for longer storage. Tapered and flanged closures are more suitable for wine you expect to drink sooner.

Should wine corks be soaked before use?

Follow the instructions supplied with the corks. Modern treated corks usually need little or no soaking, and prolonged soaking or boiling can weaken the closure and increase contamination risk.

Need the rest of your bottling setup? Browse our bottling equipment, caps, corks and shrinks, or wine making kits.