On Sep 25, 10:35*pm, Space_Cowby > wrote:
> I had the idea becuase our local brew shop actually sells plastic
> demijohns and they look exactly the same.
>
> I am confused though about food grade plastic. I may be a little thick
> here but if i buy bottles full of juice and then reuse them to ferment
> or store wine what is the problem ?
>
> Sorry to be a littl ethink.

I believe any plastic food container should be food grade. In the UK
containers made of suitable food-grade materials should have a knife
and fork logo embossed on them somewhere, usually on the base. I
don't know about the plastic demijohns your wine shop carries, but
there are lots of different sorts of plastics. The Better Bottle
brand I refer to claims the plastic lets through almost no oxygen
compared to other plastics (I think it is made of P.E.T.E.) -
therefore it is more protective of your fermenting/aging wine than
most plastic containers. Shorter term storage is fine in P.E.T. I
believe. I think other plastics are shunned because they can release
chemicals into the wine, let gases in which spoil the wine or change
the flavours significantly.

I would guess if you plan to drink your wine straight out of the
fermenter or after a few months then you'd probably be fine in any
food grade plastic. If you want to age the wine for more than a few
months I'd invest in some Better Bottles or glassware.

Jim