# Recycled Bottles



## NorthernWinos (Nov 14, 2005)

Don't know anything about this place, just happened to find it on The Net...if anyone tries it let us know how it worked out.Looks like you only have choice of shapes of bottles and not colors. 
www.star-of-hope.com/wine.html
Looks like a casino recycling the wine bottles.
I am fortunate to know a caterer and have friends with a supper club, so can get alot of bottles with one weekends asking, but know it could be a problem for small home winemakers like myself.


----------



## jcnoren (Nov 18, 2005)

Northern Winos said:


> Don't know anything about this place,
> 
> 
> www.star-of-hope.com/wine.html
> ...




Not familiar with your listed web site. 


Yes getting bottles can be difficult. I refuse tobuybottles from the store. In Alberta we recycle and have refundable bottles .05 for wine bottles under a liter,.10 for beer bottles, and .20 for anything over a litre.This is Canada we are metric...


Here are a few suggestions .....ways to get used bottles


Try going to your local the bottle depo and offer to purchase ...used/recycled returned bottles. Many refuse to do this stating it is more work for them than it is worth. Some will some won't . On busy days at the bottle deposurvey what those in line are returning. If you happen to see someone with a load of the kind of bottles you desire approach them and offer to "save them time, by buying their bottles from them".


Another suggestion I have seen is to head to your local restaurant and offer to buy their emptybottles, it saves them a trip to the bottle depo and you get them at a reasonable price.


Let your friends know you are on the hunt for bottles suggesting you will save them the trip to the bottle depo


As long as you clean a "experienced/used" bottle well they should work.


A few ideas..





JC


----------



## MedPretzel (Nov 18, 2005)

I totally agree with jcnoren. Used bottles are definitely a good thing for you *and* for for the restaurants who have to dispose of them. It's a two-way street, even here in the United States. I have heard from my place that they have to pay to get rid of them. At least from the place I get my bottles.


I get my bottles at my parents' German club. They are really into German wine, and I get some wonderful bottles (usually the same kind) from them. The germans are really into piesporter (Michaelsberg) and white zinfandel from Sutter Home. The sutter Home bottles are a pain to de-label, but the Piesporter are a breeze. I take that into consideration. I make sure that they guy who's in charge gets a bottle or 3, depending on what I've got going. If I haven't been there in a long time, I give him 4. Poor man, he's intrigued by my tomato wine (he's the only one who loves it), and I've been running out......





I have also gone to a local winery, looking for bottles. They sell a used case for 2.25, all different sorts. There are blue bottles, green bottles and clear ones. It's worth it if you get at least a case of each type. They don't scrounge for you, they didn't for me, but you get such a good feeling when you tell them, "I'm a home winemaker, do you possibly, by any chance, have bottles?" They always ask what you're making and are very enthusiastic -- until they hear what *I* make.




Then they just politely smile and say, "Wow, that's very interesting." 





I'm used to it. Little do they know how great a mum-wine tastes, and how good my "little bit of...." wine tastes.





My friends? Nah, they love to drink my wine, but rarely do I ever get a bottle back. It's just in the cards, I guess. My parents? They are my true-faithfuls. They always give me bottles. A friend of my parents' even goes to her church and asks for the communion wine-bottles for me (No, I did not ask her to do so, but she looks at them and says, "Hey, Martina needs bottles".)



So some of my wines are kinda-sorta-by-the-wayside blessed. HA! I think older generations are familiar with scratch wines and home-winemaking in general, and that is why I think they think of it more. I come from a very strong German background (my parents are from there) and they lived through times where the only wine/alcohol was ones that were homemade. They simply remember to save the bottles for me. Also, through my parents, they always taste my wine. The lady who goes to church and gets the bottles gets special wines. She's a true good friend, not only to my parents, but to me too, and she gets the good stuff.


Long story, but common theme: If you give a bottle or 4 or 10 to people, you'll be remembered, and the bottles will be saved for you.


At least that's my experience.


----------



## Waldo (Nov 19, 2005)

I got lucky and found a guy on e-bay that was selling the 750ml clear for 5.00 per case. I ended up paying142.00 for 12 cases shipped to me which I dont think was a bad deal. Ended up just under a buck per bottle.


----------



## jcnoren (Nov 19, 2005)

MedPretzel said:


> ILong story, but common theme: If you give a bottle or 4 or 10 to people, you'll be remembered, and the bottles will be saved for you.
> 
> 
> At least that's my experience.




I am still very much at the begining stage here. You can't give what you don't have. I started my first (ever wine kit) Sept 15/05 a 6wk Austrailian Shiraz...it is bottled and now aging. I figure will sample some at Christmas. Learned after bottling, just because you don't see CO2 doesn't mean it is gone. So I am not too sure if my first effort will be welcomed by others. Your ideas are good, I am hoping that my (no doubt gassy wine) will also be.


Recycle, reduce, reuse.... As Martha Stewarts says..."and that's a good thing".


JC


----------



## geocorn (Nov 19, 2005)

I encourage all of my wine makers to recycle their bottles, but I still sell a ton of bottles, literally. Isell at least a pallet of bottles per month and since a pallet full of bottles weighs 2,000 pounds, I do sell at TON of bottles!


----------



## jojo (Nov 20, 2005)

i've hit up neighbors, friends, and a few local restaurants. so far i have plenty to use. it is getting to be a drag cleaning them all. every few days someone in the neighborhood leaves empties on my doorstep.


----------



## jcnoren (Nov 20, 2005)

jojo said:


> i've hit up neighbors, friends, and a few local restaurants. so far i have plenty to use. it is getting to be a drag cleaning them all. every few days someone in the neighborhood leaves empties on my doorstep.




Cleaning them is time consumming... a drag...agreed. To have empties delivered to your door, now there is something I have yet to experience. 


JC


----------



## Cove Cottage (Nov 21, 2005)

Lots of Christmas parties coming up, just ask the bartender to save the empties for you. 


Wish I had as much bottled wine and I have empty bottles ready to be filled. One of these days ... Definately got to start another kit.


mwm


----------



## Curt (Nov 22, 2005)

Here in repressive old MN the local winery can't even steam out the bottles they empty in their tasting room so they either give them away(lucky me)or recycle them. I also check out the local recycle bins once a week or so. After any major holiday there are always lots and lots of bottles to be had for just picking them out of there. I've even gotten a couple of those chianti bottles with the straw baskets on them.


----------



## PolishWineP (Nov 22, 2005)

Curt,


Which winery did you visit? Two fools? We learned the same thing when we went to meet Leroy and Carol and sample some wines.


----------



## jcnoren (Nov 22, 2005)

Curt;


Was unaware that wineries gave away or discarded theirempty bottles. To those of you living in BC British Columbia (with your many wineries), do they also discard or give away their empties?


JC


----------



## rgecaprock (Nov 23, 2005)

Hi All,


I'm in a winemaking lull right now although I have 6 gal of Santa Ynez Valley Syrah to bottle after Thanksgiving. I have quite alot of bottles just from the store bought we drink. Hopefully, after the Holidays I'll go on the hunt for a source. Thanks for all your ideas.


I don't think we have a bottle depot here.....if anyone knows of a place here in Houston let me know.


Ramona








*Edited by: rgecaprock *


----------



## NorthernWinos (Nov 23, 2005)

PolishWineP said:


> Curt,
> 
> 
> Which winery did you visit?  Two fools?  We learned the same thing when we went to meet Leroy and Carol and sample some wines.


 Hello. Princess.... 
.....Where have you been???
What did you think of The Two Fools Winery???
Being a gardener I mostly went to see the vineyard. Thought it looked young but promising. It looks like Os twitch [spelling??] Concentration Camp with that big deer fence around it. Anxious to go back next year and see how the vines are doing.


----------



## PolishWineP (Nov 25, 2005)

Yes, we went to Two Fools in September. That fence is something else, isn't it? And they really are in the middle of no where there. Of course we brought home wine and have enjoyed some of them already. We found 1 or 2 of them lacking in mouth though. But they're young yet...


Did you get to see the operation in the back? We got to peak into some fermentation vessels and the action was so strong in one of them it could have knocked me off the ladder! Maybe we could meet up there next year, tour the vines, sample some wines... It could be a great family day!


----------



## NorthernWinos (Nov 25, 2005)

Sounds good, will see you there!!!! We bought a few bottles too, one was Chardonnay, I noticed it was cloudy when I set it on the tasting bar, but would have been embarrassed to put it back..it hasn't gotten any clearer. Guess they are new to the business and needed inventory. We were there in Oct near their closing date, there wasn't much left to choose from. Will be fun to watch them grow, and most anxious to see how the vines do. Some of my older juice vines died to the ground last winter, but came up from the roots. The wine grapes are young and doing well, so want to see how theirs do at the Vineyard/Winery.....always anxious for spring. Winters are too long up North.


----------



## OldWino1 (Dec 16, 2005)

Hey I find ppl that only drink wine from some where France or Italy. and ppl that like the less expensive. I ask them to just put the empties in a grocery sack and I will take care of them. If i get a good steady supply from them I give them back full bottles these 99.9 percent come back with brothers and sister bottles. I love having a unique bottle that has been refilled several times. It becomes and old friend. Hey im in us and our old wine bottles go to the dump.



So I luv recycling them


----------

