recycling wine bottles

[jlewin]

if i bring home used wine bottles from work is there someting I can buy to seal them up properly for bottle conditioning? Probably thinking to use them for mead not beer if it makes a difference.

 

[Yooper]

I cork my meads in wine bottles, just like my wines!

 

[jlewin]

is it important to use dark wine bottles like I do with the beer? are tapered corks ok or should I go for the regular ones and spring for a corker. I know it's not expensive but I'm still reeling from my initial set up purchase (I just started doing this)

 

[Yooper]

It's ok to use any color bottles, if you store then in the dark or covered- just like beer.

You HAVE to have a corker- but you can get a hand corker for around $20. I've bought two different ones, and like the double lever hand corker the best. For hand corkers, you probably will get best results with a #8 size cork. #9s are very hard to do with a hard corker!

 

[david_42]

Mead doesn't skunk and by the time your first batch is ready for bottling, you should have saved up a few bucks. I bottle mead in 12 ouncers and cap it.

 

[jlewin]

i was originally just going to use 12 oz beer bottles but I can get wine bottles for free--plus corking supplies and thought that might look a bit nicer.

thanks for the input

 

[SpamDog]

When/if you start doing alot of corking.. you will want to get one of the floor corkers.. they make it so much easier as they have an Iris that compresses the cork before you put it in the bottle.. I have the dual lever corker and it works fine.. but I only cork about 3 or 4 bottles out of a batch.. the rest get 12oz and capped or my little 100ml/3.3 oz bottles and capped for testing intervals..

SpamDog

 

[grrtt78]

isnt it the hops that skunk in beer?