Wine Bottles and Corks

I've lumped wine bottles and corks together because without either you can't bottle your wine. To bottle a typical batch of 23 liters of wine you'll need 30 - 750 ml bottles.Wine bottles come in different colours. Which colour you chose is totally up to your liking, the wine doesn't care. You'll find clear, green and red as common colours. Some bottles will have a "punt" on the bottom (a punt is an indent on the bottom of the bottle). You don't need a punt on your bottles.

Winemaking shops sell new bottles in cases of 12. I've bought new bottles and also used ones. I always keep wine bottles if I bought a commercial wine. When using old bottles just check them for chips and cracks, and sterilize them.

Corks come in many sizes but the most common size is #9. Obviously if you're bottle 30 bottles you'll need 30 corks. Make sure they aren't old and dirty. Having more corks on hand is a good thing in case you make a mistake.

The common length of corks is 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 inches. If you're going to consume your wine within say 4 months a 1 1/2 inch cork will do, but if you're going to age your wine for a year or longer you'll definitely need a 1 3/4 inch cork.