Wine Storage

[Clare]

Evening all,

After a few successful 6 bottle kits and questionable success with a homemade ginger beer (think alcoholic fire water!)...I've decided to pinch the OHs 23l fermenting bucket and try a 30 bottle kit.

I've had a look on eBay and the likes at buying some of the 5l storage bags with taps but they are pretty expensive. Is there a cheaper option that I'm missing? I'd prefer to store in larger quantities rather than 30 recycled bottles if poss. Cleaning and sterilising 30 bottles is also putting me off!

Thanks in advance :-)

 

[Bigeck]

If you are not too fussed about presentation what about plastic lemonade bottles (19p from Aldi - other brands are available!)? They hold 2 ltr, which is a lot less bottles to sterilise.

I don't know if they affect the quality of the wine on longer term storage. Really depends on how quick you will drink it.

 

[chewie]

A couple of other options, 3 litre PET cider bottles if you want bottles that won't let as much light into them or 1.5 litre vodka glass bottles out of pubs. If you use a shop bought wine rack though for long term storage you are pretty much tied to standard wine bottles.

 

[engineer]

In the past i have used 5 litre water bottles and also 5 litre food grade jerrycans to store wine, these are ok for a time but once you open them you need to use the wine as air gets in. I now use 5 and 10 litre bag in a box for storage as it avoids that issue. They are reusable with care, i tend to use the bags around three times then replace them.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

I bottle into 750ml wine bottles, i use Milton tablets (2 tablets to a washing up bowl of water) i pour a little into each bottle with a jug and funnel then put the screw cap on and shake, leave 8 minutes then shake again leave nother 7 minutes and job done, Milton is a no rinse steriliser so you just pour it out and fill the bottles.

To make bottling day a lot less of a pain i use a little bottler i have pasted my how to thread here to save you going elsewhere -

I hate bottling and always managed to stir up the sediment when syphoning in the early days so i bought a little bottler and a bucket clip which made the job a lot less painful, i didn't have a bucket with a tap and i didn't want to cut a hole in my FV so i cut the tube off the tap at the point below which allowed me to use it with my syphon tube giving me much more control, the bucket clip keeps everything steady on a FV or DJ.

 

[Graz]

I've just embarked on 30 bottle wine kits, Wine Buddy Sauvignon Blanc on the go at the moment from the recent Tesco clearance sale.

I've bought some of these off eBay: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/5-Litre-B...Homebrew-Plain-White-Boxes-1-10-/301821188075

Worked out at £2.84 each when I bought six of them which I don't think is bad value give that they can be reused a number of times.

I plan to bag between 10 & 15L per kit and then put the remains in bottles to see if the quality improves with longer maturing.

 

[Graz]

I've just embarked on 30 bottle wine kits, Wine Buddy Sauvignon Blanc on the go at the moment from the recent Tesco clearance sale.

I've bought some of these off eBay: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/5-Litre-B...Homebrew-Plain-White-Boxes-1-10-/301821188075

Worked out at �£2.84 each when I bought six of them which I don't think is bad value give that they can be reused a number of times.

I plan to bag between 10 & 15L per kit and then put the remains in bottles to see if the quality improves with longer maturing.

Slightly random pricing in that link I've just noticed, buy 9 = £2.59 each, buy 10 = £3.40 each! So don't buy 10!

They also sell the bags on their own £17.40 for 10 so look after the boxes and when you need new bags it won't cost so much next time around.

 

[Clare]

Ooh some cracking ideas, thanks guys. I'll start saving some 2 litre coke bottles as I think for the wine that doesn't need to be presentable, they'd be perfect.

Thanks for the bottling tips Chippy, that's genius. I actually think the OH's bucket has a tap on it, I'll have to get it back out of the garage and check though. I use Milton too, although I had been rinsing...i won't bother now!

Graz, thanks for the link for the bags/boxes. They aren't too bad value if you can get a few uses out of them. I do have 2 bag/boxes that came with previous kits but it's just typical they both have red in that needs some serious aging.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

I have never experienced this but have read about it on the forum, if you are bottling into clear bottles keep the wine in a dark place as light (especially direct sunlight) can effect the flavour over time.

.

 

[Graz]

I guess there's probably some different styles of little bottler floating around but on mine I just shove the syphon tube into the top of it (i.e. it fits inside the bottling wand), doesn't leak and therefore no need to hack the wand around. Probably worth trying first!

I use my wand on both a bottling bucket with a tap and a syphon tube when bottling from demijohns so it's good that I didn't have to chop it.

 

[Bigeck]

I have never experienced this but have read about it on the forum, if you are bottling into clear bottles keep the wine in a dark place as light (especially direct sunlight) can effect the flavour over time.

.

I remember that one too. None of mine ever lasted long enough to matter.

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk

 

[Chippy_Tea]

I remember that one too. None of mine ever lasted long enough to matter.

I keep mine in the kitchen cupboard but they also don't last long.

 

[GDog]

i think it goes brown with direct sunlight Chippy, or so I've read. A bit like oxidation maybe? Or I could be confusing the two

For brews I didn't want to bottle, or didn't have any spare bottles, I've also had no problem using 5 litre PET plastic water bottles. I wrap em in brown paper, and stick them in me garage. When I need to open it, I bottle x5 bottles, and decant the rest to drink that evening.

I've a beaverdale shiraz almost that's ready for clearing when I find the time, and I plan on brimming 2 Demijohn's, solid corks wired over, and wrap in brown paper also to store 3 months. The rest will be bottled. When the DJ's are old enough, I'll do as before, decant, and bottle the other x5.

I'm also curious if bulk storage improves them, and I don't want to bag-in-a-box my wines.

Al

 

[Chippy_Tea]

A good old bin liner will cover a lot of bottles :wink:

 

[Cqr]

How long would wine last in a king keg?
Thinking of having a go

 

[VW911]

20L Vinotainers are pretty good.
Re-usable and very robust - the outer box gives out long before the inner "bladder"...

 

[Cqr]

Thanks for the reply
I've got two king kegs I no longer use, so wondering whether wow wine could be severed/stored ok in them

 

[needmorstuf]

Slightly random pricing in that link I've just noticed, buy 9 = �£2.59 each, buy 10 = �£3.40 each! So don't buy 10!

They also sell the bags on their own �£17.40 for 10 so look after the boxes and when you need new bags it won't cost so much next time around.

boxes give out before bags imo - just ordered 9 - thanks for the pointer

 

[Boatbrewer]

2 litre fizzy drink bottles then into the decanter one of my boys bought me for Christmas, if I'm feeling posh :lol:

 

[chewie]

Thanks for the reply
I've got two king kegs I no longer use, so wondering whether wow wine could be severed/stored ok in them

No reason it shouldn't keep ok, problem would be in getting wine out you need to let air in unless you have the means to force it out using Co2 at a pressure that won't carbonate it, it may also need a very small amount of priming to lift any oxygen off the wine when you initially fill it.