Selfsufficientish.com

Hello,

Lots of really useful advice on here - but I wonder if anyone can help me with bottling.

I am hoping to use old wine bottles for my first attempt (once I have done all the fermentation etc etc) so thought I should start stockpiling them now.

Can I use supermarket wine bottles and just put the corks back in? Or do you think I should buy screw-tops and use those instead? Not sure if you have to buy special bottles - which would kind of defeat the object of making my own in the first place.

Thanks

Bonnie

Hi, I use supermarket bottles with screw tops, some of which I have bought, most of them though I have scrounged from neighbours. Have even resorted to the recycling bins at times. Make sure they are sterilised, and happy drinking!! pbf.

prison break fan wrote:Hi, I use supermarket bottles with screw tops, some of which I have bought, most of them though I have scrounged from neighbours. Have even resorted to the recycling bins at times. Make sure they are sterilised, and happy drinking!! pbf.

yup same here - my family save me screw top bottles. im the only one who leaves a party with empty bottles...

Thanks all - very helpful.

Have just got back from Wilkinsons with my bag of enzymes etc etc... but the recipe I have calls for three drops of tannin.
I can't find this anywhere - is it really necessary? Three drops is such a small amount, surely it can't be THAT bad to miss it out?

Thanks. Will keep you posted.

Reduce your liquid a bit and bung a cup of tea in it. We don't use any chemicals in our winemaking - tea for tannin, vegemite for yeast nutrient. We don't stop fermentation, just leave it til it's finished.

I must admit, however, to using my mother's Steradent to clean the bottles and demi-johns

i saved some lamorna lemonade(sp?) swing top bottles a bit like grolsh beer bottles , you know the ones , dont ya?

All good advice. Just don't even think about trying a sparkling wine in ordinary bottles. For that, use bottles which had sparkling wine in them to begin with.

Mike

Thanks for the advice all, especially the cup of tea - I must admit it did feel a bit funny buying chemicals to put in my wine, when the whole reason I am making it (ok, apart from the fact that I am broke!) is that I like to know what is in my food.

How much vegemite would you use in 2.25litres of slop? (water and plums at the moment - put the peptic enzyme and campden tabs in last night).

I think I will give the initial brewing mixture a day or so longer than the recipe says to make sure that all of the yeast has fermented, I don't want any explosions... presumably you could stop it from fermenting by sticking it in the freezer for a few hours?

Thanks again. Don't know how long I will be able to wait before trying it!

MKG you are teasing us!! How do we make a sparkling wine? pbf.

prison break fan wrote:MKG you are teasing us!! How do we make a sparkling wine? pbf.

jus tlike you would for beer.

1. make SURE fermentation is finished due to sugar being completely used up by the yeast - hydromater is your friend here
2. add a small quantity of sugar/sugar syrup to your PET or champers bottles and wack the wine in and the top on.

Alternatively if you know your SG you can bottle when there is the right amount of residual sugar in the wine to give it fizz and little enough to kill the bottles (and anyone nearby )