[Isprinsessan]

Hi everyone

After years of thinking about it  I am finally about to get started on wine making, yay!

I just read Booze for Free by Andy Hamilton. It was great, really easy to understand (I already had CJJ Berry's book but I got a bit overwhelmed by it, trying to work out what equipment was really needed and what was optional). Maybe now I can read First Steps in Winemaking again, now I have read Andy's book, since Mr Berry is such a legend...

Anyhow, I'd like your opinions dear wine making experts. The only thing I have trouble sourcing is glass demijohns.

But I have a collection or really nice heavy green glass demijohns which once held olive oil that we brought back from Italy.

Do you think it's possible to get these clean and oil free enough to use for this purpose? Or am I setting myself up for trouble?

Thanks so much for your thoughts! It's been so much fun reading through all the posts and everyone's beer and wine adventures. I've learned heaps from them.

IP

[aelf]

big supermarkets sell 4 litre plastic bottles of spring water for a couple of pounds each. These make great substitutes for demi johns 

[ANHBUC]

This might work

www.ehow.com/how_7678963_clean-oil-out-glass-bottle.html

 

[Lawrence]

Yes you can clean them out and use them, just hot soapy water should do it.
+1 on the water bottles, I use the 8 litre ones (my neighbour likes bottled water) I drill a 9.5 mm hole in the lid and an airlock fits perfectly.
I usually recycle the bottles afterward because I get so many, but keep the lids for a couple of brews.

[astirle]

Thanks very much everyone for the comments, I'll definitely try the rice method!!
It actually didn't occur to me to google it. durrr

I had to create a new username for myself - since changing my email address, the forum reactivation gives 'an error has occurred' so I was completely locked out. Not to worry, new alter ego now!

Cheers

Astirle formerly known as isprinsessan

[Growster...]

We regularly use 4pt milk bottles for quick storage.

It's food quality plastic of course, and keeps wine reasonably safely for a shorter time.

Wouldn't want to keep wine for too long though...

[Kleftiwallah]

If you are going to use the green glass olive oil jars/bottles you may have trouble getting a good seal around the neck when you come to fit the 'bubbler'.  Green coloured jars may stop you from watching the sediment settling and bothersome when it comes to decanting.  To get gunge out of a bottle, I use a large bottle brush in the chuck of a battery drill - but HOLD ON !

One book I should like to recommend is "Drink Your own Garden" by Judith Glover,  no I.S.B.N. I'm afraid.  I've been making wine for years and this book would qualify as my bible.

Charity shops and boot sales are where I normally see demijhons going for pennies, should you go for larger quantities (when you see the bushes full of elderberries) how about trying the plastic bottles from office water dispensers ?

Finally. . . CLEANLINESS,  CLEANLINESS,  CLEANLINESS. 

(always here to help)  Cheers,    Tony.

[astirle]

Drink Your own Garden - sounds great, there are even some on amazon but none of the reasonably priced 2nd hand sellers will send to Sweden or even Ireland  only UK.
Will keep looking.

Car boot sales aren't that common in Sweden, I suppose they happen though. There are flea market sales in summer time so I will keep a look out.

Thanks very much for all the suggestions.

[jjlittle]

5 litre water bottles are a cheap way to start thats how i started making some supermarket juice wines are easy and taste good

[timtheenchanteruk]

Charity shops and boot sales are where I normally see demijhons going for pennies, should you go for larger quantities (when you see the bushes full of elderberries) how about trying the plastic bottles from office water dispensers ?

I tried to get some of those, but they don't seem to be disposables, they are collected and reused by the company that supplies the cooler (more and more offices seem to have the mains fed coolers now anyway)

[teamspotty]

Admag for demi johns there's usually somebody selling them for pennies.

For larger quantities (like elderberries)  I use a beer fermenting tub (that I bought at wilkos many moons ago for a few quid) with a circle cut out in the lid to which I fit an airlock.

[irot]

Wilko have loads of homebrew stuff... it's tempting me to have a go myself!

[Growster...]

Wilko have loads of homebrew stuff... it's tempting me to have a go myself!

Well worth a go Irot!

Easy recipe here, but you'll need the kit as well.

http://chat.allotment-garden.org/index.php?topic=77564.0

If you buy all the stuff by the end of the week, you could be drinking it in a month's time...

Eventually costs about 60p a bottle!

[ANHBUC]

Wilko have loads of homebrew stuff... it's tempting me to have a go myself!

Well worth a go Irot!

Easy recipe here, but you'll need the kit as well.

http://chat.allotment-garden.org/index.php?topic=77564.0

If you buy all the stuff by the end of the week, you could be drinking it in a month's time...

Eventually costs about 60p a bottle!

Don't let the Government know that, I'm sure that is less than the permitted cost per alchohol unit!!