Does length really matter?

Come on girls, now is your chance to really put this one to rest. Opening a Rhys and then a Carlisle and I noticed a 1/4 inch difference in cork length. I’ve seen all sorts of cork lengths. Unless you are cellaring for an extended period, does length really matter? All puns are welcome and the less you answer the actual question, the better. No survey to complete.

Width also plays a role,no?

Blahaha this just made me LOL and scare my dog!

If you’re worried about a difference of 1/4 of an inch then it’s definitely not long enough.

A short one will do in a pinch but over the years a long one will prove to be good at preservation.

Length matters more on the finish.

It’s not so much the cork as it is the potion.

Speaking only about corks, if for some reason you believe that air must go through the cork, then yes it matters. A shorter one will let more air through. But if you believe that the purpose of a cork is to prevent air from getting in, you use a longer and more expensive cork.

If it gets really hot, then a long one will definitely help prevent seepage.

Size isn’t important. Its how big it is that counts.

Well, if it’s really long then it might require special equipment to pull it.

do Magnums require longer corks?

Corks must be matched to the bottle. In certain Burgundy bottles if the neck widens before the cork ends you’ll have wicking and you’ve defeated the purpose. It also seems to me that cork density would matter more than length - I’ve seen some pretty spongy corks and some very firm corks. Some cork vendors will reference their source for material and say they have firmer corks. Also - capsule versus wax versus nothing? That said, it always impresses me when I open a Barolo and the cork has that extra 1/4" …

That’s the Berserkes I know!

Know when longer corks suck? On aged wine when they crumble.

Caymus uses long corks and they can be a pain in the a .

So long as it scored over 90 points, who cares about how long the cork is?

cork soaker

If you rub the cork will it get longer?

Too much?

My experience is: the longer the cork the higher the TCA rate !!!

(cork companies hesitate to throw suspicious patches of thick bark to the garbage … easier with thin ones !)

I won’t jump in to this one too much (as I work for a cork producer) but the length of a cork is not related to the thickness of the bark. Basically, the way that corks are punched the diameter of the cork is along radial axis of the tree (the bark thickness). The length of the cork is punched along the axial direction (up and down the tree). If the corks were punched in such a manner that the length of the cork went along the radial direction of the bark, then the lenticels would travel along the length of the cork instead of across the cork and would not provide any barrier to oxygen.

A cork should never be punched…