Swing top bottles

[Ferial]

Hi everyone! Has anybody used swing top bottles for bottling their wine? I've got a couple laying around that I'd like to use, but hear mixed review about the success. The wine will be relatively short lived in the bottles (max 2 years), and I plan on replacing the rubber gaskets and doing a wax seal on them to help keep the air out.

I'd love to hear success (or horror) stories, and advice!

 

[JohnT]

HMMMM 2 years?

The only problem that I really see is that the wine will be in contact with that rubber gasket. I do not think that this will be that much of a problem as this is food safe and used all of the time.

Give it a try. You say that you have just a couple of these bottles that you plan to make use of? Assuming that you plan on corking some bottles too, I would say to drink up these flip top bottles first.

 

[clight385]

This may interest you.
http://www.gfwc.com/collections/every-day-wines

 

[Floandgary]

I too have a couple of the swing-tops from various products. I do believe that the developement of that type of bottle/jar sealer was intended for products that were going to be used on a regular basis versus long term storage. For storage I would go with the tried and trued simple cork (natural or synthetic)

 

[Arne]

They work great for skeeter pee, dragons blood and that kind of thing. Arne.

 

[cimbaliw]

You won't have to store them on their sides so gasket contact should be minimal. I'm not sure I'd do a whole batch of 2yr in swingers but for the 6-12month taste-test bottles, why not. For DB and SK Pee that would be a right fine party bottle!

 

[jangel]

I use swing tops for SP all the time. No problems yet.

 

[roger80465]

I have a coworker who's father makes a vanilla coffee liquor for commercial sale. He pours tasters at the winery and then dumps the flip top bottles. My coworker has been bringing them to me by the case every month or so. I now have 3-4 cases of them and I bottle wine in them without concern. I open those bottles first but have never had any problem with contamination. I have not had wine in them longer than 6 months so far but that grows every day. They are extremely handy to have. I will continue to get them and use them unless or until I find they cause problems. I will take as many as I can get.

 

[michjen]

I used these bottles for a batch of red I did.... They work great!!! I will sterilize and reuse!!

 

[DoctorCAD]

You can get new gaskets and just keep on using the bottles over and over, too.

 

[michjen]

Where can you pick up new gaskets???

 

[WI_Wino]

http://brewandwinesupply.com/index.php?route=product/product&filter_name=flip top&product_id=204

And at a bazillon other home brew stores...