Wine Kitz Atlantic

BOTTLING

Bottle washing and bottling is the final and one of the most important aspects in craft wine making. Failure to have your bottles ready may lead to disaster a short time later.

Wine bottles must always be clean and sanitary. This begins at the time you enjoyed the wine that was in the bottle previously. Soon after you drink the wine, take the bottle to the sink, rinse it completely, and invert it to drain. This simple task will save you hours of soaking and scrubbing when it comes time to bottle your wine.

There is a handy item called a “bottle tree” on which to hang your bottles. It allows them to drain properly (water left in bottles will cause bacteria growth), and is also a great place to store them. At this point this is all you need to do to your bottles until it’s time to sanitize them.

Putting them through the dishwasher will clean the outside of each bottle but doesn’t do anything for the inside of the bottle. If you are using recycled or first-time bottles, you may have to soak them for a few hours or overnight to loosen residue or mould. Chlorinated tri-sodium phosphate (pink stuff) is great for this purpose. Use a bottle brush to scrub. If the bottle is not sparkling clean soak it some more – if you can’t get it clean, discard it.

Sanitize the bottles thoroughly (another handy low-priced wine making tool is a “sulphiter” used to spray the sanitizer into the bottle easily and effectively). After sanitizing, rinse your bottles two or three times then invert to drain. If you don’t have a “bottle tree” a clean dishwasher rack is a great tool. Arrange your bottles to fill (siphon the first part of the wine into a glass), sit back, take a sip, enjoy…your wine making experience is almost complete.