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I have run into a problem – a predicament of sorts. I drink a good amount of wine (this is not the problem) and Walla Walla, despite being home to well over 100 wineries, does not have a glass recycling program for most types of glass (THIS is the problem). So at the end of the month, I end up with a number of empties which I am reluctant to just toss in the garbage. This is an understatement – the thought of such waste seriously irritates me and occasionally makes me flat-out mad.

Recently, however, I have turned to a few fellow avid wine drinkers who share my sentiments regarding unnecessary waste and concern for the growing number (and size) of unseen and untalked about garbage piles with heaps of perfectly reusable glass. From these conversations as well as some research on the internet I have come up with some creative uses for wine bottles ranging from the difficult and eccentric to the simple and resourceful.

1. Wine Bottle HOUSE! This first one requires some skill, lots of time, and a high consumption of wine over a long period of time. If you are dedicated to the cause, however, there is no reason why you can’t team up with a few wine drinking-friends and accomplish a similar feat even if it is on a smaller scale. For most of us, this might be a MUCH smaller scale. A dog house maybe. A yurt? I don’t know, but the basic idea is fascinating. Water is a very good insulator and I bet the type of lighting this would create inside the house would be very unique…

2. Wine Bottle Tree. A much less daunting endeavor. At first I was hesitant to mention this because I read that Martha Stewart had featured it on her show, but hey!, if its up your alley, this is a good use of glass. I haven’t actually seen one of these creations in person, but I would imagine that on a sunny day, sunlight filtered through variously colored bottles would be a pretty addition to any backyard.

3. Wine Bottle Garden Border. This is the one that I have been working on. Very simple, yet resourceful. All it takes is collecting a bunch of bottles and shoving them half-way down into the ground, neck first, and voila! a border. I like to mix up the colors to make the border less monotonous. Although the wine bottle border isn’t the best at keeping grass from invading your flower patch, it is a great way to make watering those plants a much simpler task by significantly decreasing the run-off.

4. Wine Bottle Lamp. Pretty simple concept. My friend has several at his house, and what can I say? They look great. I found several suggestions on-line about making this at home from scratch, but I also found a relatively cheap version on amazon.com. This use of a wine bottle doesn’t use up a bulk amount of empties, but it is none-the-less a simple, yet clever idea to save those particularly special bottles. If you have lots of good looking bottles, wine bottle lamps make for great gifts!

5. Wine Bottle Oil Lamp. Similar to the electric lamp, this wine bottle modification is better suited for the out-doors – picnics, barbecues, and what-have-you. All it takes is a ceramic bottle wick and a glass flame protector for wind protection. These types of modifications come in both kits and individual pieces, and it is not too hard to find some ‘how-to’ directions online about making this from scratch.

6. Wine Bottle Candle Holder. This is a pretty popular modification of empties. Great for the dinner table, kitchen, living room – wherever you feel the need to change the atmosphere with candle-light. Having these around the house has also proven very useful during power-outages. The most popular modification I have seen is the dual candle holder which rests on a cork-fitting right on top of the bottle. A more difficult, but also more interesting use of a bottle to house a candle requires cutting the bottom of the bottle off, thereby using the bottle itself as a cover for the candle, which rests inside. The uncorcked neck provides oxygen, and using variously colored bottles can create a very neat atmosphere. In addition, this is a great way to display those special bottles, as the lighting will illuminate the label from the inside.

7. Wine Bottle Oil Pourer. This project is hardly a modification, as it uses a container designed to hold liquid to simply hold another type of liquid, but none the less is a much more aesthetically pleasing way to store your oil than in the bottles which you get at the grocery store. A typical 750 ml wine bottle may be a bit large as an oil pourer, but a port bottle, maybe a late harvest Riesling, or any other bottle which is smaller (375 ml) or has a shape that you like will work great. All you need is the pourer attachment, and some oil. If you are an avid cook you may like filling several bottles and throw some herbs, maybe a hot pepper in one of them (don’t forget to let these soak in for a few weeks) – this way you have a selection of various types of oils for different cooking endeavors.

8. And Last, but not least…If you bottle your own beer, why not use the darker wine bottles to fill up with your tasty brew? True, 750 ml may be a bit much to drink by your lonesome before it goes flat, but it will be the perfect bottle to share with a friend!

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Written on July 9th, 2008 by Sasha Bobylev and American Winery Team . Filed under Culture
Tags: empty bottles, recycling, reusing wine bottles