[clairebeau]

Helloooo!

I've had a bash at turning my utility room into a winery  well, if you can call a few demijons full of bubbling vinegar delightful vino a winery! 

There are THOUSANDS of questions I want to ask but just for now do you reuse screwtop bottles or so you use cork ones?

Thanks for reading.

[AnnieB]

I always use cork.
You do need a corker to be able to get them in, which adds to the cost (~£25). Also being honest I do not like the present corker I have, the corks are not that level with the top and they end up with a mis-shapen top. My previous was much better but that is lost in the general chaos somewhere.

As I recall the Australian wine business started introducing screw top bottles, however it seems rarely mentioned and I have no idea if they still use them. People seem to expect a cork.

[grinling]

I have screwtop at the moment as some of my plastic corks do not fit the wine bottles. You can use screwtops once or twice only. I have now got a corking device from a car boot sale but yet to try.
I am leaving the demijohns after racking as long as poss before bottling though as it matures as a whole.

[Kleftiwallah]

I'm a screwcap only bloke.  Too much faffing about banging in a cork then struggling to get it out.  I use double size bottles I obtained from the local pub.

Cheers,   Tony.

[ilan]

Use either corks into glass wine bottles or the screw top plastic fizzy drinks bottles I would not use screw top glass bottles as just in case you get a bit of pressure build up Bang 

[bigfatwallet]

My personal preference is corks and use a corking tool to do the hard work for you. Never tried screw caps to be honest.

[Daamoot]

I use both types of 70cl wine bottles but only seal them with corks using a cheap hand-corker.  Its a bit tighter getting the cork in a screwtop bottle but I didn't realise the problem until I'd collected and cleaned heaps of them so I might as well use them up!  For 500ml bottles (beer/cider) I use a twin lever capper

[bigfatwallet]

Found the one I use. £14.50 http://www.winekits123.co.uk/home-brew-wine-making-three-handled-corker-2.htm

[thedadtony]

I've used the old screw tops time and time again and never had a problem, once I've tightened them up I seal them with insulating tape,(bought from £shop) to make sure they are air tight and if the collars loose on the neck I seal that as well with the same,it maybe doesen't look pretty but it does the job, I'm more interested whats inside the bottle than what the bottle looks like!Cheers Tony.

[clairebeau]

So really, it's all just down to personal preference and experience... huge thanks for all your kind help. x

All this wine making faff came from me buying 5 demijons at the jumble sale for pennies! Bargain hunting can prove to be a bit of nuisance eh? 

Because I'm hoping to give some of the wine away for winter festival presents I think I had better try and go for the most attractive method, which I reckon will be corks. Goodness help me, I'll have it all over the show  Never mind how it'll taste! Ugh!

I'm off to post more questions now...you lot are soooooo going to regret logging on! 

[Growster...]

We use 4 pint milk bottles from supermarkets.

They're food grade quality, and last for several fillings.

They're wide enough to settle a final fallout of the lees, and they're easy to decant afterwards too. Just rack off each half-gallon when you want a slurp!

Haven't used a corker for twenty years;  we used to brew red wine in the old 'Ex-wine fives', if you can go back that far!

If we can't use the spare bottles, we use those lemonade/cider bottles, which take just under two litres, but if you make my recipe (not actually mine, it's Jim Trussler's - see Growster - Christleton, passim), you'll have a few of those around anyway!

[clairebeau]

Growster!!  You sound like the hardcore of home wine making!! 

I'm slowly coming round to thinking that I'm going to be good at making paint stripper rather than wine.

Learning the 'lingo' is a lesson in itself...

Must - the fruit/juice?
Lees -
Racked off - fed up? Haha! Syphoned off into another demijon?

I just have to remember that folk have been making this stuff for centuries without posh chemicals to add here and there...it can't be THAT hard. Can it?

Thanks for your help. xx

[Growster...]

Growster!!  You sound like the hardcore of home wine making!! 

I'm slowly coming round to thinking that I'm going to be good at making paint stripper rather than wine.

Learning the 'lingo' is a lesson in itself...

Must - the fruit/juice?
Lees -
Racked off - fed up? Haha! Syphoned off into another demijon?

I just have to remember that folk have been making this stuff for centuries without posh chemicals to add here and there...it can't be THAT hard. Can it?

Thanks for your help. xx

Claire - become one of us!

No fuss or fiddling about - just do it! The 'Christleton' recipe is posted here a year or so back, and still holds strong and is great for a perfect brew within three weeks max!

PM me any time you want, we've been doing this sort of thing for years and years, and have no truck with too much speciality or 'south side of the vineyard' I'm afraid!

Much as I'd like to emulate a Gamay, or a Sauvignon, we don't really bother, there's far too much else to do!

Join the Clan!

;0)

[Growster...]

Sorry Claire, to answer your queries: -

Must - the fruit/juice?

Racked off - (fed up? Haha!) Syphoned off into another demijohn.

Must - yes, the fruity stuff you're going to ferment.

Lees - the stuff at the bottom of the demijohn, (container). Not to be taken as nice to drink, as it's old yeast cells etc! Chuck it away as soon as you like, it's no use at all.

Racking is just syphoning the clear stuff from the bottom, without getting any of the lees in the finished bottle/milk carton!

You'll need a syphoning tube with a bend - 'Wilkos' do one for a couple of quid, which keeps the tube away from the stuff at the bottom.

Just don't get too immersed in the frantic search for perfection; most home made wine is great, but don't expect Chateau-Growster Grand Cru - it never really happens!

As I said before, PM me if you'd like any more help!

[crh75]

Don't try and put a cork in a screw top wine bottle. There're not as strong and may break when you push the cork in.  If this happens the whole bottle is wasted!