Wine bottles

Can I use screw top wine bottles or only the corkers?

When I bottle beer i don't use screw tops because the glass is generally too thin to hold the cap and it doesn't make a good seal. I didn't know if the same thing applied to wine bottles.
Thanks.

If you are corking them then NO. If you using the use screw caps (ewww) then they won't bust but I wouldn't drink it.

Pd2718 said:

Can I use screw top wine bottles or only the corkers?

When I bottle beer i don't use screw tops because the glass is generally too thin to hold the cap and it doesn't make a good seal. I didn't know if the same thing applied to wine bottles.
Thanks.

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Conventional wisdom is that bottles that originally had screw tops are too thin to safely use with corks. And furthermore, there are not many good options for a home winemaker to properly seal a screw-top bottle with screwtops. So, you are advised to stick with bottles that took corks to begin with.

I'm assuming you mean to use corks in a screw top wine bottle? We have reused screw cap wine bottles many times without any issues. I've noticed that sometimes the size of the aperture is slightly bigger and the corks come out a little easier, but there has always been enough expansion of cork to provide a good seal. I've heard stories of the bottles breaking during corking because of the lesser amount of material in the neck, but we have not had any problems. Believe me...the first time we have a bottle break and lose a bottle of wine, all the screw cap bottles will be tossed. But so far we have had no issues (been using them for 5 to 7 years now).

Close exam of a screwtop bottle will reveal that the glass below and including the reinforcing band is the same as any other bottle. The glass above the band which makes up the cap thread is slightly thinner and noticeably longer than the normal corked bottle. This section has been known to succumb to stresses when uncorking, particularly using the "waiters style" puller.

There are 3 main types of bottles: 1) cork, 2) commercial screw, and 3) home brew screw.

Screw tops risk breaking when using a cork. I risk them if I am going to toss the bottle after use (take on a trip).

Commercial screw requires commercial equipment to seal properly.

Home brew screw are designed for home use and can be used with screw tops sold by lhbs.

I have used screw top bottles for years with no problems. In fact, the only bottle necks that have been chipped have been the big heavy corked bottles. I know this flies against conventional wisdom but that has been my experience.

I use a double handle corkscrew like the one pictured, except only plastic comes in contact with the bottle. It applies even pressure on the bottle and the cork extracts easily. I'm not worried at all about these bottles. I believe if a problem is going to arise, it will be on cork insertion, not extraction.

roger80465 said:

I have used screw top bottles for years with no problems. In fact, the only bottle necks that have been chipped have been the big heavy corked bottles. I know this flies against conventional wisdom but that has been my experience.

I use a double handle corkscrew like the one pictured, except only plastic comes in contact with the bottle. It applies even pressure on the bottle and the cork extracts easily. I'm not worried at all about these bottles. I believe if a problem is going to arise, it will be on cork insertion, not extraction.

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I believe the bigger problem is on extraction, but with both being risky. If you're going to do it you certainly have the right corkscrew. The bigger issue would be someone using a waiter's corkscrew that applies pressure on one side of the neck.

Runningwolf said:

I believe the bigger problem is on extraction, but with both being risky. If you're going to do it you certainly have the right corkscrew. The bigger issue would be someone using a waiter's corkscrew that applies pressure on one side of the neck.

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I agree, Dan. I don't gift those bottles to anyone. I keep them for myself where I can control the process.

No one has mentioned the Nova Twists yet, so I thought I would mention them.

I get gifted lots of empty screw top wine bottles. For years I would just cork them like normal. I knew it wasn't ideal, but I never had issues. Since I've discovered the Nova Twists I use them instead of corking. They are reusable too, which is nice.

I have used beer bottles even screw cap beer ,,, but i put beer caps on like they come with not corks

I've broken two screw cap bottles both while inserting the corks.
As a side note, I've also broken a couple regular cork bottles, but they broke from being overfilled (me not paying attention to the wine level in the bottle.) Did I ever say I hate bottling?

I do re-use the commercial screw cap bottles but ONLY with a recycled commercial screw cap. After filling and capping I lay the bottle horizontal overnight. If no leakage, I consider it good to go. If one does leak, and this has not happened YET, I will try another recycled commercial cap. I use these bottles primarily for my quickly consumed "tweaked" mist type kit wines. In talking about the home brew screw cap bottles, the thread is identical to the Arbor Mist bottle thread. Again, I will re-use the original cap or the LHBS aftermarket Poly-seal cap.