Mason Jars?

Yes they would work, perhaps not as well, but they would work. Becareful of the airspace at the top, you don't want much if any. Use all new lids. Should be ok, but I can't garante this is the case. Ken

Yeah, they'll _work_ - but the metal lid is susceptible to corrosion from the acid in wine, and that'll affect the flavor. Also, it's difficult to get the headspace small enough.

Why bother? Bottles aren't that expensive, and they're reusable.

Tom S

Regarding headspace, you could remove a lot of the air from the jar when you close it. They've got little devices designed to do exactly this. One end fits over the middle-piece of the normal two-piece-ring and the other end is a vacuum tube that you either connect to a pump or suck on manually. Basicly, it sucks the air out, and then releases the lid piece down into place. (If you're in the US, Walmart carries them.)

That said, I don't recommend bottling in mason jars. I doubt they're as resistant to pressure buildup as champagne bottles are. You could have some glass grenades on your hand.

-- WB

I would not count on them. As commented above you will have difficulty getting the air space small enough and corrosion may ruin your wine. If those problem don't get you, they air leaking in probably will. Remember, Mason jars are designed to be sealed, not by the lid being screwed down, but by heating the jar with its contents placing the lid on and then cooling so the vacuum will pull the lit tight. You can't, or at least should not, use this method with wine so you can not be sure of a seal. Wine bottles were designed for wine.

Ray

Thank you. The reason I asked is because I have Mason jars, but do not have bottles, nor corks. :-) I run a raw-hide outfit here, with no money for equipment nor easy access to any store that sells equipment (I live in the Carson National Forest). I have already learned a few things from this newsgroup.

I did not think of those things. Humm. I have some bottles that have ceramic stoppers, with a Mason jar-like wire assembly that seats the stopper hard up against the bottle's mouth with a rubber gasket. I suppose I could save the Mason jars for moonshine, and use the bottles for wine.

I asked because I have Mason jars and do not have bottles. :-) I live on a remote cattle ranch, going for supplies one day a month.

Yah know, if I could figure out how to turn horse shit into wine, I'd be a billionaire.

...

I once considered this thing for storing hops in quart mason jars, nayyy: .

I have no idea how well it works, but they say the seals are reusable. I don't know how long the seal is supposed to last, but you probably won't be cellaring this stuff anyway. As other posters have said, you will have to be careful about rusty lids.

-bh

Those sound like Grolsch bottles. They're much better for wine than Mason jars.

That's easy. I believe it's called organic farming. ;^)

Tom S

It appears your remote cattle ranch has internet access. You can order supplies and bottles on line from many different distributors.

Yes, of course you can. I have been doing it for more years than I care to recall. I still make summer/picnic novelty wines using pint mason jars that have been converted to drinking mugs by the addition of a glass handle (I'm sure many folks here have seen them.)

The lids are designed to provide long term storage for things like pickles, so wine presents no problem. Don't try to vacuum seal the jars. Simply use the lid and ring like a two piece screw cap. So long as they are stored in a reasonably dry location there is no problem with corrosion. Adequate sulfite will prevent oxidation. HTH

Frederick

If you are short of wine bottles, and you do not have any restaurants around that you can ask to save bottles to get free ones, you can use gallon jugs with solid rubber bungs very nicely. You can age in these for a couple of years with not problem. If you have a few wine bottles, and you do not drink a gallon at a time, you can bottle one gallon at a time.

Ray

That I will do. (The internet access is via satellite "Direcway," and they charge an extortionist fee.) The problem is I can get the small stuff by going into town on a horse, but anything large I will have to wait until the road dries (some time around May if I'm lucky). I'll get some "real" bottles and some corks.

Thank you. I have two different types of containers for the finished product, and I'll also try to get bottles and corks. Maybe I'll use all three--- Mason jars included. :-)

If you have a recycling center as my town, they normally have a bin for colored glass bottles which usually is primarily wine bottles. I have acquired several hundred this way (no cost).

message

you could learn how to blow glass.

That is an excellent idea. Thank you. Hummm. There must be a hell of a lot of bottles laying around here, since I live on the Navajo reservation. (Er, that's didn't come out as polite as I intended.) I will see if I can visit some bars' trash bins looking for bottles. Why didn't I think of this!??!?!?!?!

I'm not that way. :-)

Actually, if the original cap is clean and still fits snugly you can use it. Most of them have a plastic liner. If not, a couple of layers of Saran Wrap will work OK as a gasket. Be sure that the free sulfite is where it should be and that you don't leave any airspace over the wine. Store it in a cool place that has relatively constant temperature.

Many years ago I filled a Gallo 3 liter screwcap bottle with wine (Cabernet) and just left it in the cellar. On opening it some 15 years later it was fine. It had aged, but not quite as much as the cork finished wine in regular bottles.

Tom S

the gl wasn't silent ;p