8 replies to this topic

[IrishPirate]

Friends have been giving me their empty bottles and so far I've ended up with a few of the screw-top bottles. I think the opening is the same diameter as corked but i haven't gotten out my caliper to check yet. Aside from making sure it's the right size for my corks, is there any other concern with reusing these bottles? seems a shame to waste free bottles...

Cheers!

[gregorio]

Not really. The taper inside is not always 0 degrees (straight) so the corks do not seal well. Also the glass is thinner at the neck which could lead to breakage during insertion.

That being said, I'm sure there will be several replies refuting this with "I do it all the time and haven't ahd a problem" anecdotes. Well, caveat emptor.

[dralarms]

I wouldn't do it. I throw away more screw top bottles than you can shake a stick at.Can't get Ruby Tuesdays to understand I on;y want wine bottles. They keep loading my box with vodka bottles.

[Curt]

I quit using them after breaking a few while pulling corks. The taper is wider as you go into the bottle on some so the cork gets tighter and tighter as you pull them. The glass is thinner where the threads are too. Around here there are enough proper corkable ones so I don't have to worry about using the screw tops.

[red_feet]

That being said, I'm sure there will be several replies refuting this with "I do it all the time and haven't ahd a problem" anecdotes. Well, caveat emptor.

You read my mind, but my name isn't Caveat Emptor. I've never had problems corking screw top bottles. Recently I've noticed that quite a few commercial wineries have switched to screw caps. It may become more difficult to find regular corkers to reuse.

Ken

[RAR]

Hmmm, I never took into consideration some of the well made points that are being made here. I have not made much wine, since I enjoy messing with my grapes more than wine making, but I have saved a few screw top bottles that I personally have consumed and I never had a problem reusing them. On the other hand, after working the street for 37 years, I would not feel comfortable using used bottles, unless I personally knew the person that was saving them for me. I guess this is why on nights when I was working, there were very few restaurants that I would eat at. I would only eat at fast food places where I could watch them make my food…….too many reports of spitting on the food, dropping it on the floor and my best was the fast food employee who was over heard bragging about frying a rat in the french fryer the night before. And then my wife wants to know why I only see the bad side of everyone. Point being, I usually wait for a supply company to have a sale and then I stock up on bottles. Too much work washing, scrubbing, sanitizing and removing the old labels for me.

[IrishPirate]

Is there any way to get new screw tops to re-seal them instead of using corks?? if not, I guess I'll save them for the "oh crap, i don't have enough bottles" moment and stick with regular bottles otherwise. Thanks everyone

cheers!

[tgoose55]

That being said, I'm sure there will be several replies refuting this with "I do it all the time and haven't ahd a problem" anecdotes. Well, caveat emptor.

I do it all the time and I haven't had a problem.

To this point I have bottled around 600 bottles of wine and I use some screw top bottles. Most of these types were given to me when I began wine making and I did not have a vast supply of empty wine bottles. So I had to use what I had on hand. Over time people kept giving me more and more bottles.

Now I toss the screw tops away. The reason is not the fear of them breaking, rather I hate taking the metal band off the neck. The only screw tops I have now are the ones people gave back to me after I gave them a bottle. So I don't have to remove the metal band and the labels peel off easy.

I do not know how to put on a new metal band and cap. I am sure this process is reserved for the wine industry and not the basement hobby.

Just my two cents,

Rob

[ajrawls]

I have not had any problems corking screwtop bottles, I've used them for several years. I tried using Zorks with screwtop bottles and I really like how they work. Take the metal band off first or it makes putting the Zork in a chore.

Happy Bottling,
A.J.