New Criteria in Selecting Wine

[Pete]

I bought from George a Shiraz kit in January and a Montepulciano kit in
February. I followed the directions except for bottling - rather
than bottling after the 5-6 weeks - I put the Carboys in the
garage. I live in Atlanta and up to this point the temperature
has been accomodating - generally in the 50-60 range over the last few
months.



In any event - I intend to bottle both kits on Saturday - as such - the
hard work I have went thru the last several months is paying off in
that I have enough empty bottles for both kits. I spent the last
several hours removing the labels - the wisdom I gained - is that
- I will no longer buy wine just based on its quality and price - a new
criteria in buying wine is how easy the label comes off.



I am a newbie - as this is my first post - though on occasion I have lurked here and there.



Pete

 

[Bert]

Welcome Pete....sounds like you have a good start on a great hobby.....and I agree with you as to the job of cleaning recyled bottles it can be a pain...but 30 or so bottles setting on the table, full of wine is a nice reward. Edited by: Bert

 

[jeffpwright]

Since I am too cheap to actually buy bottles (sorry George...) I am a scrounger. I have learned a cool way to make "recycling" much easier. Use a cooler to stand your dirty, labeled bottles up in (mine holds about 24). Use dishwasher detergent (I used Cascade); just sprinkle it all over the bottles (I would guess I probably used a cup or two). Using a hose from the tap and the hottest tap water, I fill each bottle then finish filling up around them. Close the cooler which keeps all nice and hot/warm let it sit for a day to several days. Most labels will be on the bottom and the few left are very soft to scrape off. A green scrubbie pad under hot running water will quickly take the remaining label goo off. Several swishes with my bottle brush in each bottle and a hot rinse and Voila! sparkling clean bottles ready for sanitizing and filling. And that's bottles that have sat in my garage for months with mold and crud in them.

I was using the Oxyclean for a while, but after they sit for some time, they get a white residue that requires a second rinse in vinegar to clear off -- too much of a pain; the dishwasher deterg leaves no residue.

 

[MedPretzel]

Good tip!





Thanks jeffpwright!!!!

 

[daveb50]

jeffpwright, I also thank youfor the great idea.


Dave

 

[Pete]

Jeffpwright - thank you for the tip - I knew there had to be a better way.

Pete

 

[OilnH2O]

Welcome aboard, Pete!


You'll find this topic in several places on the forum if you search for it (try "removing" or "soaking" and you'll hit most of them). You'll findmany ways of "de-labeling." One suggestion from several posts of others, that worked notably better for me in my experience, was using "Straight A" in the water in which you soak the bottles -- and it cleans them too!


I get a couple cases of bottles a week from a local "Finn and Porter" restaurant and find the Morgan Chardonnay and Writer's Block Syrah labels just float off in minutes! On the other hand, I cringe when I see Shooting Star, Trinity Oaks, Dynamite and Canyon Road bottles! Even after scraping with a knife and using the scrubby, the remaining glue takes lots of work -- using WD40! That means, of course, they must be washed again after wiping as much of the oil residue as possiblewith paper towels (and separately -- no need to getany oil residuein with the other bottles).


Glad to have you with us. Ain't this fun!

 

[peterCooper]

I use a similar process, leaving the bottles overnight and then using a sharp
knife to remove any gummy bits. THen I rub goof off on the outside to
remove anything left and then dishwash them.

Then they are ready for cleaning and sanitizing.
I can get 30 bottles in my dishwasher (kind of)

 

[paubin]

Hi Pete, Soundes like a great idea. I'm lucky enough to have a co-worker who's wife works at a wine bar so I have no problems getting used bottles. I'll be using your way of getting labels off very soon. I do usually soak but the dish detergent sounds good, especially the no residue.