Obtaining Used Bottles

[GrandpasFootsteps]

What's the best way to get bottles for free? I have requested from friends and family. Over the past 3 months I've gotten 45 bottles. I need a lot more. Buying bottles at LHBS is about $18 for 12 bottles. I think that increases my cost per bottled wine too much. Any advice? Someone I know mentioned going to a restaurant that serves wine by the bottle. I haven't done that because I'm nervous about cold calling. Any advice?

 

[ffemt128]

What's the best way to get bottles for free? I have requested from friends and family. Over the past 3 months I've gotten 45 bottles. I need a lot more. Buying bottles at LHBS is about $18 for 12 bottles. I think that increases my cost per bottled wine too much. Any advice? Someone I know mentioned going to a restaurant that serves wine by the bottle. I haven't done that because I'm nervous about cold calling. Any advice?

Restaurants is one option. Are there any wineries in your area? You can usually get thier used bottles for anywhere from $2-$4 per case or sometimes even free.

 

[wvbrewer]

Try your local winery. Usually they will just throw thier tasting bottles away or recycle them. They may give them to you or sell them cheap. Local bars are also a good source if you are friendly with bartender. The price of new bottles is not really that bad and you can choose the one you want.

 

[Airplanedoc]

Try caterers and places that hold wedding receptions. Or find friends that drink more.

 

[Teamsterjohn]

Are there any restaurants in your town? Every Wednesday is recycling day here and one restaurant that I go by puts his recycling out late Tuesday night. This morning I picked up 9 bottles. Thats all my plastic bag could hold.

 

[ibglowin]

Restaurants for sure. You have to go check weekly so they will start to trust in that you will show up and make it worth the trouble of putting them aside for you.

You may go away empty handed at first but after a while they will have a case or two each time you stop in.

 

[bdcl1977]

Used Bottles

I've had good luck with a small Winery in south Georgia. I'll buy 5 or 6 six bottles of their wine and leave with 2 to 3 extra cases of empty bottle. They have to pay to have the bottles from their wine tasting hauled off. If a restaurant saves a bottle or two for you, try giving one of your wines to the manager or bar tender, next time you go to pick up I'd bet you will have more.

 

[millwright01]

I don't know if you have a recycling plant there but I just go down and ask them to save me so many bottles of whatever color I need. Then a week later I go down and pick them up. Costs me $6 a box donation. They keep me all the same brand and nothing dirty. Usually from a restaurant or banquet so not even dried out inside!

 

[twistedvine]

I have 3 local wine stores (non wineries) they always email me or call when they have between 6-10 cases of empties. I always take everything they have and then sort out when I get home. I don't even bother keeping screw tops so they go straight to the recycler. Right now I have approx. 30 cases of empty bottles. Of those 30 cases, 10 cases are cleaned and have the labels removed.

good luck

 

[AlFulchino]

and post a note on craiglist

 

[Minnesotamaker]

Any place that hosts wedding receptions can be a good source (hotels, arenas, dance halls, etc). I like it because you can get cases of the same bottle instead of the hodge-podge of bottles coming from friends.

 

[Wade E]

I get mine mainly from the local recycling center. I ask them to put aside any corked wine bottles in exchange for the empties and they gladly oblige. I call mine on a Saturday morn and go down in late afternoon and can usually grab about 100. One time I needed a lot more and asked them to save me a few days worth. 4 days after asking I went down with my car and filled the trunk, back seat, and passenger seat. I gave the 2 guys there a case of assorted wines and they were thrilled to death!! Amount may vary per day depending on location. Dont be afraid to go to one of these places in a sort of richer area where it would be more likely that people are drinking wine and not moonshine or gallons of cheap vodka! LOL. Actually he recycling center (dump) I go to is one town over from mine and not my town. I also use wineries but nowhere near as much as others as most of the good ones are too far away from me. The thing with them is they may want you to pick them up daily or bi-daily as they dont want you in their dumpster and dont want them hanging around their place too long (unsightly). The only bottles Ive ever bought were the Belissimma 375 bottles, no wineries near me use them and you rarely see them in the dump. A friend of mine in North Carolina gets these by the case and many cases a week, lucky SOB as these are the most expensive!

 

[twistedvine]

I get mine mainly from the local recycling center. I ask them to put aside any corked wine bottles in exchange for the empties and they gladly oblige. I call mine on a Saturday morn and go down in late afternoon and can usually grab about 100. One time I needed a lot more and asked them to save me a few days worth. 4 days after asking I went down with my car and filled the trunk, back seat, and passenger seat. I gave the 2 guys there a case of assorted wines and they were thrilled to death!! Amount may vary per day depending on location. Dont be afraid to go to one of these places in a sort of richer area where it would be more likely that people are drinking wine and not moonshine or gallons of cheap vodka! LOL. Actually he recycling center (dump) I go to is one town over from mine and not my town. I also use wineries but nowhere near as much as others as most of the good ones are too far away from me. The thing with them is they may want you to pick them up daily or bi-daily as they dont want you in their dumpster and dont want them hanging around their place too long (unsightly). The only bottles Ive ever bought were the Belissimma 375 bottles, no wineries near me use them and you rarely see them in the dump. A friend of mine in North Carolina gets these by the case and many cases a week, lucky SOB as these are the most expensive!

I currently only have 4 cases of the Belissimma 375's. One of my local wine bars had a dessert wine tasting a few months back so they saved these for me as well.

 

[KeithTheSnake]

Best source for me has been recycling. I get to pick out the bottles I want and to leave the rest right there.

Second best source was my nephew, who was a bartender, who'd save me bottles. Only thing is, I'd get some bottles that I really couldn't use.

Third best source was the local bar. But, because of the nature of the bar, they didn't sell a lot of wine.

One important thing I found is to happily accept all bottles given to me, to give something in appreciation for them, and to separate those I won't use and get rid of them as soon as I get home.

Also, I found that it's inspiring to remove the labels and to wash and organize the bottles soon after I get them home so that the chore is done well before it comes time to bottle. That way, on bottling day, all I've got to do is a quick wash and sanitizing and I'm good to go.

 

[reefman]

I was at the Local Home and Garden show a couple weeks ago, in Maryland, and two wineries had tasting booths setup. I missed getting 4 cases of empty bottles by about 20 seconds (another home brewer got them). I did score two cases from one of the local wineries last weekend, that were left from their daily tastings. All free.

 

[Luc]

Each year my girlfriend and me attend a large dance festival here in Holland.

I toss in some bottles of wine for the volunteers and they save the empties for me.
About 200 bottles each year......
As the festival is 3 days I clean them there and dont wait till I get home.

So look for any festivals around your place and talk to those that run the bar.........

Luc

 

[mmadmikes1]

Your lucky you only got 45 bottles from friends, I asked friends and neighbors and would come home to my porch covered. I like Italian restaurants recycling bins. They sell same wines over and over again. I get same bottles year after year. They call me the wine sharing dumpster diver

 

[BigBend]

I hit the jack pot. I mention to a guy that I made wine and he said his brother did also. He then told his brother about me and he than offered me some bottles he did not want. He uses only screw top bottles and I use only cork bottles. He gave all of his cork bottles. 22 cases of rinsed 750's cork bottles. Than to top it off he delivered them to my back door.

 

[Runningwolf]

What a score! Good deal.

 

[roblloyd]

Nice! I need to find a better way to store mine or else my wife is going to go crazy. So far supportive but I have them in the garage and taking over my kids playhouse. It's too cold for them to use it right now, so I'm hoping to get some bottling done before they need it!

Then I'll start the search.