Wine bottles

[Rusty Nesmith]

I am sure most of you know but I thought I would post this for somebody new like me. I went down to Olive Garden and asked them about their empty wine bottles. The manager said they throw them away. I told her I am starting to make wine and would like to get some if I could. She took my name and number and told me they would start saving them and I could pick them up on Mondays around 11 am. Thanks goes to my wife for thinking of it.

 

[iridium]

That is a good idea. I am lucky that I have a friend who knows people that throw a lot of parties with wine. So she collects the empties for me so it’s a win win.

 

[Jal5]

I tried that with a local restaurant but never got any bottles. But at a catering house that our Italian club uses I get a lot. Never hurts to ask.

 

[wine newbee]

I decided to go to local wine-tastings as they ended and see if the shops' owners would let me have used btls -- they were glad to. Beats having to go to recycle dumpsters to search for 'em!

 

[salcoco]

visit a winery tasting room. they cannot reuse the bottles and would be glad to give them away.

 

[Rusty Nesmith]

visit a winery tasting room. they cannot reuse the bottles and would be glad to give them away.

Don’t have anything like that near me.

 

[Jal5]

It’s easy to get a case or more at catering Halls. Banquet, weddings i usually ask. Joe

 

[gsf77]

Don’t have anything like that near me.

I posted this suggestion on another thread, google your state's name and wine trails. I was very surprised at the local wineries here in Alabama.

 

[jvbutter]

I am sure most of you know but I thought I would post this for somebody new like me. I went down to Olive Garden and asked them about their empty wine bottles. .

I took that same approach when first starting... except it was a local high end steak house. Yes they go through lots of wine. After a while of getting glass there the manager had different approach to me and started saving them in boxes. It was a bonus. Only bad thing was so many diff wines they served, didn't get alot of matching bottles. Same thing with a Import wine retailer here in town. However, it was a great way to get bottles to start. After I had hundreds of bottles, then i start sorting out what I don't like and make a good set. Also if you have a local winery, they are great source for boxes.

 

[BernardSmith]

I think different states may have different regulations some of which may prohibit empty bottles from being re-used while they still have their labels intact. You can imagine some people re-filling those bottles with cheap hooch and passing them off as virgin bottles from the named wineries or distilleries and that is rather obviously more easy to do where customers buy the wine by the glass and and you drink in-house.

 

[Scooter68]

If that steakhouse doesn't change brands it seems like it would just take Some time and patience to gather enough of each type for bottling. A good reason to start bottle hunting when the batch is started.

 

[JustJoe]

I have a friend who buys wine and between him and his wife they go through a bottle a day. I get about 300 empty bottles a year, all the same type. Cant' beat that!