Are screw tops ok for wine bottling or shold I cork the lot and do the corks need soaking?

[Wozboy]

Hi

I'm back making wine after a long time out, I started out just making wine but for the last few years I've just been making beer.

Anyway, I'm about to bottle 60 bottles and I'm wondering if screw top bottles are ok and whether anybody out there has any experience of using them. All commercial wine manufacturers seem to be favouring screw tops now and my only concern is ensuring that there is a good seal when it's bottled and whether that's something I need to be concerned about. I note that some screw tops have some absorbent paper discs in the top of the screw top and I wonder if they're something that you can buy to ensure a good seal when the top is screwed on?

I have plenty bottles so I can cork the lot if necessary, also do I need to soak the corks prior to bottling? Some say soak, some say you don't need to?

Any help gratefully received!

Cheers!

[themadhippy]

Not worth the risk of bottle bombs,commercially they can be 99.9% certain fermentation is over

[oldbloke]

Screw tops are ok in good condition, for a few uses. You can buy new ones, too.
I cork, but apart from a sanitising rinse, don't really soak. The manufactrurer website should advise

[MarkA]

Not worth the risk of bottle bombs,commercially they can be 99.9% certain fermentation is over

If a wine ferments out to 0.990, surely there won't be much left to ferment? Potassium sorbate should stop any action, if sweetened with sugar before bottling.

I would think there's as much risk of bottle bombs when corking if sealed with a shrink-wrap sleeve.

[MashBag]

Screw top bottles need screw tops.
Not corks.
The necks are not strong enough.
You can see it of you look closely. Much less glass.