# Dark or clear bottles?



## leelanau (Aug 22, 2006)

Hello all, I am preparing to bottle my German white kit that I have posts on here at the forum. I have taken the advice of many and asked a couple of local restaurants to save some bottles. I have plenty in one weekend. Question, ok to bottle my white in a bottle that contained a red? I would like to think it wouldn't matter but something tells me a dark bottle is better for reds and vice versa. Logical or doesn't matter? Your opinions as always are appreciated. And question 2, will my #9 corks work in all bottles?


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## paubin (Aug 22, 2006)

Leelanau, the bottom line is light will bleach out color from wines. Traditionally reds are usually in darker bottles and whites in lighter or clear. My feeling on this is use whatever you think will show off your wines the most.I have a very nicely colored blackberry that I want to put in clear bottles and a raisin sherry that I want to put in blue. Just keep in mind that light will effect the color over time.


Hope this helped you out.


Pete


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## WineNewbie (Aug 23, 2006)

I want to start a Riesling kit soon, and I notice that most commercial Rieslings I see are bottled in either blue or green bottles. 


It seems odd to me, since most whites are in clear bottles. Going onPete's reply above, I guessthe color of the bottledoesn't matter as much with whites. It seems to be more personal preference.


Is there, by chance, any other reason why a Riesling would not be bottled in clear bottles?


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## sangwitch (Aug 23, 2006)

The darker glass gives added protection to wine that is going to age longer. Generally whites are drunk while younger and therefore don't need the added protection. I don't think it matters much unless you're planning on aging your bottles for several years.


Here's an interesting article on bottle type/color


http://winemakermag.com/mrwizard/442.html


I saw a paper on this topic from UC Davis. I'll see if I can find it.


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## Funky Fish (Aug 23, 2006)

No real reason. If you look at Chardonneys, they are typically bottled in light amber/yellow bottles. The color of the glass has about as much impact on the wine as the shape of the bottle (ie none). Where you store your wines has a bigger impact. If you store your wines in sunlight all day long, the dark green bottles are not going to protect your wines much better than clear bottles in the long run.


Moral of the story - use whatever bottles you have handy so long as they are clean and sanitized, and store them in a dark area.


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## NorthernWinos (Aug 23, 2006)

Think most home winemakers use what they have on hand...
I have read someplace that in competition some red wines are put in clear bottles to show off the color...
I personally use recycled bottles and usually look at the original labels and get an idea of what came in which style of bottle...and then try to put a similar style of my fruit wines in that type of bottle..
Here is another Site on wine bottles....

http://www.texaswinetrails.com/bottles.htm

And another...

http://www.cellarnotes.net/bottleshapes.html*Edited by: Northern Winos *


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## NorthernWinos (Aug 23, 2006)

leelanau said:


> Hello all,
> And question 2, will my #9 corks work in all bottles?



Think part of the cork sizes depends on what type of corker you have....

I think the better floor corkers will handle and #9 real well, we use a Gilda Corker and use #8 X 1 3/4..

Most wine bottles will take both #8 & #9...but I am not real sure about some imported bottles..

Have read that for longer storage a # 9X 1 3/4 is preferred...

But others on this Forum might better answer your question #2....


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## NorthernWinos (Aug 23, 2006)

And...if you get some wine bottles to recycle and can't figure out what it was that came in it....then...here is a Site to decipher some French labels... 

http://www.chilipaper.com/FWino/french_wine_labels.htm


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## leelanau (Aug 23, 2006)

Thank you all for your comments, suggestions, and articles. I found all of the above information very imformative. I have a dark basement corner where I am making wine and plan to store wine. I plan also not to age/save my wine too long. This first batch will be gone within 6 months as the holidays are around the corner and gifts will be needed - and special dinners will need some wine to compliment them. I recycle products every week with our trash pick up and I feel good about helping to recycle the bottles that would have ended up in the trash and landfills. In short, I will bottle with what I am given and if I need to present a wine as a gift, I will bottle in the "suggested", most "commercially used" form, trying the stay with "tradition." How's that? Sounds good.


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## NorthernWinos (Aug 23, 2006)

I too get my wine bottles from a friends supper club, they are more than happy to save me bottles, they gain dumpster space....
Unfortunately they are fairly far away, a mutual friend lives by the restaurant and picks up the boxes of bottles...many in one weekend when I want them....
I try to get them fairly quickly as the restaurant leaves the boxes outside and so does our friend, so I get the bottles before the boxes deteriorate and at least turn the bottles upside down to prevent any leftover wine from drying on too bad...makes for easier washing when the bottles are needed....


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