Cheap long term wine storage?

[AJA]

Perhaps a silly question, someone can correct me. Can't you bottle wine in 500ml beer bottles with crown caps? Beer empties are very easy to come by.

 

[ColinF]

Apologies if covered already, but when I realised that the winemaking bug had bitten me, I put out a request to my wine drinking friends for their empties. I'm sitting on approx 100 bottles now.

I was getting that many that I started restricting 'donations' to either Gallo or Barefoot bottles and recycling the rest Their labels come off really easily.

Good luck

 

[Berry454]

@Berry454 Where are you? I've got some demi-johns that are looking for a good next life. I got them as a job lot and am slowly cleaning them, too many for my needs but better than recycling which is where they were going!

Hey, I'm in Liverpool mate. If you are anywhere near close I'd be super appreciative and more than happy to offer you something for them!

 

[ChrisT]

Hey, I'm in Liverpool mate. If you are anywhere near close I'd be super appreciative and more than happy to offer you something for them!

Ah, sorry I'm in Bristol and no plans to be anywhere near Liverpool in the near future unfortunately. I wouldn't be happy shipping seeing how couriers handle packages!

 

[RoomWithABrew]

Perhaps a silly question, someone can correct me. Can't you bottle wine in 500ml beer bottles with crown caps? Beer empties are very easy to come by.

You mean as per my post number 6 in this thread!

You can of course put wine in beer bottles, coopers beer bottles are 750ml and then crown cap them.

Or get fussy at the bottle bank and collect champagne bottles then you need a bigger bell and different caps for your capper ( this is what I do).

 

[AJA]

You mean as per my post number 6 in this thread!

Apologies, I wasn't that observant when going through the thread.

 

[RoomWithABrew]

Apologies, I wasn't that observant when going through the thread.

No worries, I've put a red wine I made in the 750ml beer bottles, I was otherwise trying to get rid of them and I'm building up a stock of the champagne bottles for a brett saison.

 

[Pavalijo]

@Berry454 get on eBay quick - somebody in Burnley offering 120 wine bottles for £16 (buy it now)

 

[Berry454]

@Berry454 get on eBay quick - somebody in Burnley offering 120 wine bottles for £16 (buy it now)

 

[user 44889]

View attachment 64429

Did you manage to get them?

 

[Berry454]

Did you manage to get them?

Haha yeah I got 120 from her last week. Arranging to get another 240 next week.

She has a lot of wine bottles.

They was all practically spotlessly clean when I got them. They only really needed a quick sanitise.

 

[user 44889]

Nice one. That lot should sort you for a fair time.
I've had luck this week managed to get 5 Demijohns from local charity shops. £2 to £3.50 each. I won't pay more than £3.50 as there only £ 9 new. Just had phone call from local CS and got a box of brewing bits plus 2 demijohns for £8 checking it out tomorrow am.
Great your all sorted now

 

[WinBase]

I'm running out of space to store bottle's so instead of bottling after 6 months am backsweetening and storing in demijohns with a rubber bung before bottling sometime down the line. There's always people selling 'em or maybe have a look at carboots, preloved, gumtree and the like. I have accumulated plenty at little cost, and just a few weeks ago i obtained 8 in tip top condition for £24 - sorted..

 

[garic]

Hi All, on the same topic - I have collected empty Whisky bottles ( Jack Daniels and Jim Beam ) from my neighborhood. Can I use them with their existing caps or do I need to use Novatwist caps ?

 

[WinBase]

Hi All, on the same topic - I have collected empty Whisky bottles ( Jack Daniels and Jim Beam ) from my neighborhood. Can I use them with their existing caps or do I need to use Novatwist caps ?

when i bottle my wine i reuse the original screw tops that came with the bottles (as long as they give a nice snug fit and can be screwed tight). Personally i wouldnt use JD bottles as the screw tops are not that deep and i would be worried that they wouldnt seal as well but that's my preference. I think paying for novatwist caps is money wasted, as i havent had any issues reusing wine bottle tops. I always make sure the bottles and tops are sterilised and sanitised first before re-use.,

as an aside, If there are more empty bottles of spirits lying around your 'hood that wine bottles, i would perhaps consider moving to another trailer park

GL

Bob

 

[Chippy_Tea]

. I think paying for novatwist caps is money wasted, as i havent had any issues reusing wine bottle tops. I always make sure the bottles and tops are sterilised and sanitised first before re-use.,

The metal cap threads eventually wear and are not airtight if you regularly buy wine this is not a problem as you can simply replace the metal cap with another but if you don't you need something like Novatwist caps that you can reuse hundreds of time (as i have) there are other types of plastic screw caps i prefer the Novatwist ones.

You can also get these at Wilko -

https://www.wilko.com/en-uk/wilko-plastic-topped-corks-12-pack/p/0318711

 

[user 44889]

The metal cap threads eventually wear and are not airtight if you regularly buy wine this is not a problem as you can simply replace the metal cap with another but if you don't you need something like Novatwist caps that you can reuse hundreds of time (as i have) there are other types of plastic screw caps i prefer the Novatwist ones.

You can also get these at Wilko -
View attachment 65351
https://www.wilko.com/en-uk/wilko-plastic-topped-corks-12-pack/p/0318711

Do the Novatwist fit all screw top wine bottles ?

 

[Chippy_Tea]

Do the Novatwist fit all screw top wine bottles ?

Have a look at the video in the first post in this thread -

https://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/...le-plastic-screw-caps-for-wine-bottles.56326/

 

[WinBase]

Chippy_Tea: If you are going to quote me, at least include the point i made relevent to the fact !!

i.e

"... (as long as they give a nice snug fit and can be screwed tight)"

it should be quite obvious that if it isnt a tight and snug fit it wont be used - who is going to spend a lot of time making and conditioning the wine only to put a loose top on?. I have wines i made over 2 years ago and they are still in perfect condition, as well as some my dad made 10 years ago. The point i was making is that spending money on novatwist tops is IMHO unnecessary, and obtaining supplies of 'once used' wine bottle tops are easy to aquire for free. At bottling time i sanitise extra caps just in case i am not happy with the fit of some (which get discarded).

regards

Bob

 

[Chippy_Tea]

Chippy_Tea: If you are going to quote me, at least include the point i made relevent to the fact !!

Wow man chill out, i agreed with you and stated the metal tops are fine to reuse but added as a warning to member that may not be aware they can wear over time they don't have to wear to the point they are as you describe "loose tops" to lose their ability to be airtight they are not designed to be used many times over unlike the plastic screw tops you can buy.