Does the bottle shape and color really make any difference?

[z-bob]

I know wine is damaged by UV light (not as severely as beer) but I store my bottles in the dark, and I don't age them for years. I've just been using recycled bottles and putting still red wine in clear swingtop bottles if that's what I have.

If I were to buy a case of new bottles (mostly for gifts) does it matter what shape, and whether they are light green, dark green, amber, clear, or blue? I mostly make red wines to be drunk young, and I might try some mead soon.

I suspect much of the color and shape is just tradition. (not that there's anything wrong with that)

 

[orangehero]

If I had a choice I would go with punted amber bottles.

 

[theDREWery]

I prefer bordeaux bottles. The hard shoulder helps to contain sediment if you happen to get any, which tends to happen if you age reds for awhile.

 

[z-bob]

I checked online, and my LHBS has green and clear bordeaux bottles for $15 per case. I should probably get one case of the greens for gift bottles, and keep collected used bottles for my own use. I have 3 gallons of wine that's ready to bottle soon.

I think red wine in clear bottles looks pretty.

Wife just told her knit group that I need wine bottles and there are several wine drinkers in the group. (they asked if magnum bottles would be okay) And I'll probably get a whole truckload of bottles from my wife's sister over Thanksgiving. But I need some now, and dropping some money at the LHBS is a good thing.

 

[Mismost]

Be careful asking for wine bottles! I now have a large portion of my shop covered in boxed empty wine and beer bottles. Bottles used to be my bottleneck...they still are, but in a literal sense out in the shop....it was hard to move around out there! Spent three hours out there this morning cleaning, boxing, trashing, and hauled off half a truck load of screw tops.

 

[Cyclman]

Ask for champagne bottles, they're the best. Magnum champagne is as good as it gets!

When I was trying to collect bottles, one full one for 6 empties worked awesome, now I have 200ish.

 

[NeilGordon]

guys, Im sure you could contact clubs. I work in several night clubs here in Miami and most of the places I work are vip bottle clubs. All we sell is Champagne. We go though about 200 bottles a night at each club. Selling anything from Moet, Don, Ace, and so on...

 

[z-bob]

I bought a case of amber Hock bottles from LHBS today. They were only $10 with no tax because they're used (they look new to me, and the boxes are new)

Wife is bringing me assorted bottles from her friends; mostly 750 ml bordeaux bottles w/o punts.

 

[theDREWery]

Some of the very deep punts have made it difficult to fill with a bottling wand. These ones I tend to use for giveaways, to slowly cull them from the horde.