Absolute beginner's question: bottling wine

[linnij]

Hi all,

Apologies if this has been covered before. My wife has asked me to have a go at a wine-making kit and I've never attempted it before. I'm in the process of saving old wine bottles at the moment and I'm wondering: can you put corks in a screw-cap bottle with one of those two-handled corkers? Also, I've saved a few screw-cap bottles with their caps, are these fine for homebrewed wines?

Sorry if these seem like really stupid questions, but I've only ever done beer before. Cheers.

[shandypants5]

I think you can put corks in old screwtop bottles but I have never done it myself.

I use screwtop wine bottles with the screwtop all the time.
The only danger is that if your wine has not completely finished fermenting then it can burst the bottle, where as it will push a cork out.

I havent had a bottle burst on me yet but my wine dont stay in the bottles very long if you know what I mean.

[linnij]

Cheers for the quick reply. I'll keep saving the screwcap ones.

[DREADSKIN]

whatever you do dont use old buckfast bottle. the monks at the abbey seem to choose the cheapest, thin glass possible. however i use screw tops all the time, and the old 'bomb' ive had has been from a buckie bottle

[Mitchamitri]

I always put corks in screwtop wine bottles BUT I use a hambleton bard cheapie "hammer" type cork inserter. I say that because I am not sure exactly where the two handle type grips the bottle and how much pressure it applies - being aware that screw top bottles are inherently thinner at the top (and therefore possibly further down) than corked bottles and are also more prone to chipping at the rim (oo er missus) from corkscrews (especially the cheap butterfly ones). This has never been an issue for me as I have one of those fancy expensive two handled lever corkscrews.

Using the hammer inserter I have only had one bottle break (out of hundreds) - and that bottle was a screwtop but that just might have been coincidence.

[linnij]

Thanks for all your help guys.

Oh incidentally Mitch, how did you know I love double entendres so much? I declare "chipping at the rim" my phrase of the week and intend to use it at every available opportunity.

[arturobandini]

I'm sure I've read a few people on here have sterilised the screw caps and reused them again?

Also...buckfast! Ouch