Which wine bottles to use?

So I have my first large batch of mead bulk aging in the carboy (1.098OG, 1.008FG) having recently been bit wth the mead making bug...

In order to keep things separate, and also allow for longer aging, I am planning on using wine bottles for all of my mead batches (greater than 1 gallon) from here on out.

I am in the process of building a wine cube for these bottles, so the size would have to be 750mL.

The question is:
Which wine bottles to use?
What style/color is recommended?
What corks to use for long term aging?

I tried searching (while on a tele-con here at work) but with splitting my brain power i couldn't find anything too worthwhile.

My favorites (750ml anyway) are Bordeaux bottles - green with straight sides. They're easiest to stack and provide protection from the light. Alsatian (Gewurztraminer and Riesling) and Rhine bottles look nice for mead but they're harder to stack.

I prefer premium select natural corks - the best I can afford.

summersolstice said:

My favorites (750ml anyway) are Bordeaux bottles - green with straight sides. They're easiest to stack and provide protection from the light. Alsatian (Gewurztraminer and Riesling) and Rhine bottles look nice for mead but they're harder to stack.

I prefer premium select natural corks - the best I can afford.

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Do you have a link for those corks or do you get them from a LHBS? Is there another way you like to bottle other than 750ml? I've done a few batches now and I'm thinking of switching to a smaller volume bottle.

armorshell said:

Do you have a link for those corks or do you get them from a LHBS? Is there another way you like to bottle other than 750ml? I've done a few batches now and I'm thinking of switching to a smaller volume bottle.

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The last time I bought corks I split an order of 1000 with two others. MoreWine only sells the Grade 1 corks 1000 at a time. You can buy Grade 3 natural corks 100 at a time. These are still better than the agglomerated corks that most vendors sell.

I bottle in all sorts of bottles. I like 375s, swing tops, and I even use crown cap beer bottles for bottling tasters in every batch.

Northern Brewer sells a bunch of different types of corks and you can call their retail store in Minnesota (or wherever they are) and the staff is really knowledgeable about the product. Call them with specific questions. As far as bottles are concerned, I think the same rule of thumb for beer bottles applies to wine bottles: use dark bottles that aren't screw top. In my bottling I use dark brown bottles but I'm sure the dark green ones will work just fine. Just try to avoid the clear plastic ones because of light exposure.

Yes, Northern Brewer does sell corks but unfortunately, all they have are the agglomorated corks that all LHBS sell. They list premium corks but they show them listed as "unavailable".

corks are important for meads, so don't skimp on them! They can be expensive, but a small investment for all of the time and money you've already spent on the mead.

I have a variety of bottles- some blue (like the Blue Nun bottle), most green, some clear. All shapes. The mead is exceptionally beautiful in the blue bottle, so I like to give those as gives. It might not be the "correct" bottle, but it sure is pretty!

I use quite a few 375ml bottles, too. They come in either blue or green or clear, so you can get any of them you'd like. That's really a nice sampling size for mead.

I have been searching for the perfect vessel for my mead. A couple of thoughts to consider:
1. the volume, depending on the ABV are you going to get through a 750ml in one sitting or is a smaller volume more appropriate. Smaller volumes means more bottling and potentially more storage required (depending). If some are to be gifts are the recipients likely to prefer smaller volumes ...
2. Closure. Cork (synthetic or natural and grade) Screwcap Crown Cap. After reading up and experience with wine if 1 in 20 bottles of wine is potentially corked on average (or whatever statistic you believe) surely this adds a concern if you use cork and intend to age mead for years (perhaps longer than people age typical wines). Having said this top quality cork has been fantastic for thousands of bottles of wine and it is a tried and tested solution,. I personally wanted to go for screwcaps (then I found out I'd need professional machinery). Crown caps seem to offer a good solution provides a stable seal can handle sparkling but may not have the asthetics of cork.

After looking into the local options for supply of nice wine bottles I came across a wholesaler who can provide me with 500ml clear crown cap bottles or 750ml amber bottles crown cap. I have decided to purchase samples of both if all goes well I'll use a combination for my meads. If the result isn't as elegant as I'd like for gifts I'll be buying a corker and taking some of the recommendations above!

If i can ask a few more questions regarding bottles:

I personally recycle most of my wine, beer, cider and mead bottles....fortunately I get them for free and get mostly clear 375ml. I brew mostly 1 gallon batches of mead so the smaller bottles suit me better for long term. Is there any advantage to using synthetic corks? or why would you stay away from them.....

also I keep alot of my meads in 1 gallon jugs to age and have been known to pull off a bottle here and there for a dinner party or friends coming over. I have been using these (image below) swingtop bottles which i was fortunate enough to come across...but would they be good for longer term storage as well?
thanks for the help
anthony

Preliator said:

Is there any advantage to using synthetic corks? or why would you stay away from them.....
I have been using swingtop bottles which i was fortunate enough to come across...but would they be good for longer term storage as well?

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Those are some good looking swing top bottles! They'd probably be good for a year or two. The problem with swing tops is that the rubber gaskets get brittle or break.

Synthetic corks are also only good for a couple of years. The manufacturers can't seem to solve the problems associated with long term storage. It appears that, at least for home wine and mead makers, good quality natural corks are still the best alternative for long-term storage.

Thanks Summersolstice appreciate the feedback.....i usually use the swingtops for get together's and more often then not i am pulling mead right from the 1 gallon glass jugs as it never seems to stay around long enough...lol

will definitely keep in mind the advice on the gaskets and the corks....much appreciated

summersolstice said:

The last time I bought corks I split an order of 1000 with two others. MoreWine only sells the Grade 1 corks 1000 at a time. You can buy Grade 3 natural corks 100 at a time. These are still better than the agglomerated corks that most vendors sell.

I bottle in all sorts of bottles. I like 375s, swing tops, and I even use crown cap beer bottles for bottling tasters in every batch.

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how long are the grade 3 corks good for? it says that they are good for 10 years. Is this just an estimate? can i open the bottles 10 years from now and replace the corks without excessive oxidation? or can i just let it be, relax don't worry and have a homebrew?