Portuguese Double Lever Corker

A good reliable corker

The media could not be loaded. Over 4,000 reviews and only one video has been posted here, for a product that was delivered without any instructions. So I’m adding this to give better context regarding a lot of misinformation regarding this Portuguese hand corker, which can help add better clarity regarding preparation for use. First, use no. 8, #8 sized corks. They’re the proper size for effective bottling. Also, do a search on soaking corks for wine bottling, there are some wise entries posted in winemaking forums - PLEASE read them and you’ll see a pattern regarding corking prep.As you consider that, this newbie tried removing the white plastic cork guide from my corker, because I thought, “no way can a cork fit through the bottom part of the plastic!”How wrong I was. Finding an online tube you video, I saw a guy corking with the plastic in place and was happy that I hadn’t broken my corker. That white plastic compresses corks! The real clarity and ease happened when I read how it seemed easier to soak corks before bottling. One person suggested 5-10 minutes. I used a sudsy solution of purified water mixed with a product called StarSan (which sanitizes without any adverse effect on brews or ferments), and used several corks that were soaking at least 15 minutes in a ziplock snack sized baggie, because it takes me time to fill each bottle while maintaining conditions.Test your corker on a couple bottles to get the hang of corking, before doing it with your ferment. Gauge how you’ll fill to leave a gap of air between 1/2-3/4 inch from your fill line and where you expect the bottom of the cork to settle. Shake off a wet cork and place it in the opening to the white plastic guide (which again, compresses the cork). Start the handles down and this is where you can center the driving pin atop your cork before driving it through, which some have found issue with. I’ve had no problem taking just a few seconds to center the shaft. Then apply even downward pressure, and you’ll hear that pop in the video I posted, as the cork squeezes through the plastic compression shaft and into your bottle. The cork seating that I experience is maybe 1/8” below the bottle top. But what’s important is that the extra soaking relaxes the cork fibers, allowing it to squeeze through the shaft and into the bottle.This tool has been around for generations. The tool design works as long as you give as much love to the bottling process as you have toward your fermentation. Think about it. The length of time from yeasted juice to bottling can be months - so please take a few more moments to ensure proper corking as well, which literally puts that cap on your labor of love.

Perfect for small batch wine. I grow and bottle muscadine wine and this is perfect for adding corks to bottles. It works best when I place it on floor to cork bottles. I have more leverage and is easy to use.

I bottle my wine on a bottling truck but due to supply issues I was unable to get the glass I needed in time so was forced to bottle by hand. I have a Portuguese floor cooker for small lots but To speed things up I thought I’d buy this hand corker.The review said it’s for number eight corks and I read multiple reviews and people claimed it worked for #9 corks( non agglomerated).However this was not my experience. Number 8 corks are not for long time storage as they are agglomerated with beveled edges. If you are making a small lot of drink soon wine with #8 corks this is for you. But This is the result of a number nine non agglomerated cork. (I even soaked the cork to help it along).I’d highly recommend a floor corker if you are doing more than a few cases even with number 8 corks.This is solid construction though and if the corks don’t matter it will work well. Not adjustable though so make sure your corks are standard length.

At first, I was a little worried when I bought this. "Will it mess up the corks?", "Will it push the corks in far enough or too far?", "Will somehow break the daggone thing?", stuff like that. But, after getting it & using it, it's great. Corks go in just fine. You gotta put a little effort into it, but not too much. It's a lot easier to use than I expected & its strangely satisfying to hear the corks go in. I think I'll eventually buy a floor corker, when I have more bottles to cork at one time, but this one is perfect for me right now. I definitely recommend this to anyone who is just getting started making there own wine/mead or anything else that requires corking bottles.

This wine bottle cocker is great! Made our job of bottling some homemade wine extremely easy. I would recommend this item to anyone interested in bottling homemade wine 🍷.

Good and solid

I just recently got into making mead and it finally came time to bottle my first batch! I bought this hand corker as a compromise between value and form (Most Portuguese corkers seem pretty much the same). Bottled my batch the other day with #9 corks and Belissima bottles and it did a fantastic job!Knocked a single star on "Ease of Use" because many other Portugese Corker designs I've seen have an adjustable nut at the top of the cork that can raise/lower the depth of the plunger - a feature that would have been useful in seating my corks but is unfortunately missing in this model.Other than that, it's a great entry-level model that'll get the job done!