# Corking screw-top bottles



## Obelix (Jun 9, 2018)

Hi , 

About to bottle wine for the first time - and only have the screw-top wine bottles available. 
Any issues with storing wine in the screw-top bottles using cork? 

Thanks


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## Johnd (Jun 9, 2018)

Obelix said:


> Hi ,
> 
> About to bottle wine for the first time - and only have the screw-top wine bottles available.
> Any issues with storing wine in the screw-top bottles using cork?
> ...



I’ve seen folks say they’ve had issues, others who’ve not, it’s not ideal, get the proper bottles if you can, the wine will wait.


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## dralarms (Jun 9, 2018)

They are subject to breaking at the neck sine the screw tops don’t have the band around the top making them weaker at the top


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## Obelix (Jun 9, 2018)

Thanks guys. Probably better to get the proper bottles then.
Will be easier with the cork sizing as well.


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## Slappy (Jun 9, 2018)

You can always try novotwist capsules. They fit most screw cap bottles and can be applied by hand. I haven't used them but plan on getting some as I have a heap of screw cap bottles. Will also be buying some new bottles and corks as well. Pretty sure novotwists are no more than around 50c each if you buy in 50-100 or so. That's Australian price. Cheapest cork bottles I can find in Adelaide are 80c each and corks 20c each so I'll be ahead on the screw cap bottles I scored for free.


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## Obelix (Jun 9, 2018)

I'll google it. Thanks....then retrieve the bottles I just put into my recycling bin


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## Slappy (Jun 9, 2018)

Hey Obelix,
I made a typo its novatwist. Sorry about that. There's a seller on ebay with a special atm $31.99 for 100 plus $7.60 postage in Australia.


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## Obelix (Jun 9, 2018)

Thanks Slappy.

Re: spelling
Google picked it up and I got the right page 

It's actually very practical to twist it on by hand. No need for thr machine. 
Will order a set, thanks for this info
Cheers


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## Venatorscribe (Jun 9, 2018)

I used to make test bottles in screw top bottles using corks. I stopped after a year. The threaded area of the glass is too weak. The neck top would either crack or break off when I attempted to remove cords. You need to buy some Novatwist screw caps. They claim that you can get several trips out of these things.


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## Venatorscribe (Jun 9, 2018)

Slappy said:


> Hey Obelix,
> I made a typo its novatwist. Sorry about that. There's a seller on ebay with a special atm $31.99 for 100 plus $7.60 postage in Australia.


That is a very good price.


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## Obelix (Jun 10, 2018)

Cheers guys.
I'll order the Novatwist tomorrow. It will save me a lot of time. Even better if I could use them twice. Should be able to collect enough of proper bottles within two seasons.
Until then...


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## memnosine (Jun 10, 2018)

Cheers ahoy.
I've been bottling in recycled screwtops several years, using recycled and sterilized screw caps. Had only two leaks; I needed to twist on another quarter turn. The Novatwist looks great, and is cheap enough to let me switch. And the bottled wine looks much better. But seriously, what's the knock on just reusing the bottles and the caps they came with? The Novatwist promo material says you can reuse them; is the plastic that much better?


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## Venatorscribe (Jun 10, 2018)

I have never had a prob with the novatwist. I am up to three trips on some bottles.


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## wildhair (Jun 10, 2018)

I have bottled in screw tops - I use #8 corks and a 2-handed corker. Use a double handled corkscrew to remove the cork. Never had a chip, break or crack. I bottle a few for myself that way every batch ........... and I get warned about it every time I post a pic. LOL
However - that doesn't mean it's ideal. MOST screw tops bottles are thinner in the neck and lack the rim at the top. (Verdi bottles are actually thicker glass than corked bottles). Bottles designed for corks ARE better for corking. I never tried novarwist - I'll look into it.............once my supply of #8 corks is almost gone. ;-)

Just a quick look & they don't seem to available from a USA distributor. I found a Canadian seller, but none in the states.


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## Obelix (Jun 11, 2018)

I reused the original screw tops with some lesser quality wine and it worked OK. But not sure how it would stand the test of time. 
I ordered the Novatwist tops anyway but will use 10 proper bottles for longer keeping.


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## Obelix (Jul 7, 2018)

The Novatwist turned out fine.
I used them on all kind of bottles except on two weird ones.

Press down hard - twist to the right until locked. 

How well they keep the air out we'll know soon enough, however everything seems fine.

At Au $0.36 per top - I'm planning to reuse them a few times


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## masic2000 (Oct 29, 2018)

I have come across 50 screw top bottles with their original caps. Can I still wash and sanitize these caps and re-use them, as long as they don't leak?


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## cmason1957 (Oct 29, 2018)

masic2000 said:


> I have come across 50 screw top bottles with their original caps. Can I still wash and sanitize these caps and re-use them, as long as they don't leak?



You might be able to close them enough that they don't leak, but are they really sealed where no oxygen can get inside the caps. My guess is no, they cannot be. But, it's your wine, it really depends on how long you think you are going to keep them before drinking them. I think, if you probably will drink in under a year, maybe. I wouldn't chance it, but Your Mileage May Vary (as they say)


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## masic2000 (Oct 29, 2018)

Thanks cmason. I checked a few of them out and they seem to have an inner seal at the bottom of the cap that's still in tact. I hate to through away 50 bottles . . . I will try this time around, like you said time will tell.


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## robert81650 (Oct 29, 2018)

I have corked screw cap bottles for some time now with #8 corks with no problems so far.......can't say it want happen,but no problems so far. Most of may wine is consumed or given away to friends who drink it right away. Would not use them on anything I wanted to age a few years.


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## FTC Wines (Oct 30, 2018)

My 2 cents, when I first started making wine right out of college I used screw top bottles, wine, soda etc to bottle my “experimental wine” . I dipped some of those in molten wax and long termed aged them. It Worked!


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## Obelix (Oct 30, 2018)

This Novatwist seem to hold OK and I may reuse them once. I think the standard tin tops can be reused. Probably not more than once.
This vax idea seems quite interesting. 
Well, if you don't have too many bottles


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## Obelix (Jan 11, 2019)

I've recently reused the standard top on three bottles. One leaked, and wine went flat. Lucky it was a side product, poor quality Rose.
So that experiment didn't work out too well. 
The Novatwist reused performed well. So far. We'll see how it works when reused for the third time.


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## memnosine (Jan 12, 2019)

I've bottled about eight case using -reusing- the original screw tops. Had two leaks; both took another quarter turn on the cap. One has to be careful. I'm still switching to novatwists; they look so much better!


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## wildhair (Jan 12, 2019)

Is there a USA supplier for Novatwist caps? Everything I found is in UK or Canada.


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## Obelix (Jan 12, 2019)

I bought mine from eBay. Didn't really pay attention where they come from. Does it matter in the US?


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## wildhair (Jan 13, 2019)

Not really - just the shipping can cost more than the product sometimes.


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## rayray (May 26, 2019)

We cork screw-top wine bottles all the time, never had an issue--use number 9 cork. I'm not 100% sure but it seems the Italian FC squeezes the cork more then the Portuguese FC so I let the wine bottles sit up for a few days to let the cork settle/expand before laying them on their side.


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## cmason1957 (May 26, 2019)

rayray said:


> We cork screw-top wine bottles all the time, never had an issue--use number 9 cork. I'm not 100% sure but it seems the Italian FC squeezes the cork more then the Portuguese FC so I let the wine bottles sit up for a few days to let the cork settle/expand before laying them on their side.


The problem isn't can the corks go in, the opening is just a little bigger, but corks go in and seal just fine. Be very careful taking the cork out. Do not use any kind of corkscrew that puts pressure on just a small part of that top, like the typical waiters corkscrew, use one that either pops the cork or with pressure or one that puts pressure on the entire top of the bottle. The glass is thinner than with bottles to be corked. I have had bottles break while removing the cork. Nobody got hurt, but it was a lesson I don't ever want to repeat.


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## rayray (May 27, 2019)

cmason1957 said:


> The problem isn't can the corks go in, the opening is just a little bigger, but corks go in and seal just fine. Be very careful taking the cork out. Do not use any kind of corkscrew that puts pressure on just a small part of that top, like the typical waiters corkscrew, use one that either pops the cork or with pressure or one that puts pressure on the entire top of the bottle. The glass is thinner than with bottles to be corked. I have had bottles break while removing the cork. Nobody got hurt, but it was a lesson I don't ever want to repeat.




I can see that being an issue and I'll make sure to use the rabbit ears on those bottles--luckily that's all my wife uses--I do prefer the waiters corkscrew though. Two years ago we had two bottles explode in a row during the corking process. Still don't know why, it was near the end and we were both a little tired, maybe human error? Could have been really bad but no one was hurt.


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## wildhair (May 27, 2019)

I typically use a screw-top bottle for the last 2 or 3 bottles of a batch. That way I can easily identify bottles from "the bottom of the barrel" - in case I bottled some sediment. I drink those first and do NOT give those away to anyone. I use a double lever hand corker and #8 corks on those. And I always use the winged corkscrew to remove them.


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## Vinobeau (May 27, 2019)

The key in using used screw tops is to tighten them! If screw tops were as bad as some of you are touting, the commercial wineries wouldn't be using them.


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## cmason1957 (May 27, 2019)

Vinobeau said:


> The key in using used screw tops is to tighten them! If screw tops were as bad as some of you are touting, the commercial wineries wouldn't be using them.


Reusing the screw top cap, which gets put on and tightened by a machine. That seal gets broken when you open the bottle. Sorry, that makes no sense to me. 

Wineries use them after installing a very expensive piece of equipment. They never cork them, which is what this thread has been addressing.


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## Vinobeau (May 27, 2019)

cmason1957 said:


> Reusing the screw top cap, which gets put on and tightened by a machine. That seal gets broken when you open the bottle. Sorry, that makes no sense to me.
> 
> Wineries use them after installing a very expensive piece of equipment. They never cork them, which is what this thread has been addressing.



Correct, don't cork screw tops, just reuse the old screw tops and turn them tight. The original are not "tightened", they are pressed onto the bottles.


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## rayray (Jun 2, 2019)

Always used them and will still cork the screw top bottles if and or when I have them--I'll just make sure to use the proper opener as previously stated by cmason to prevent any problems.

We've been using them for years and never had a problem--imho--a bigger problem is corking a bottle that doesn't have that bottom indention--the punt.


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