Best way to Bottle

[bluerdg]

I'm new to the whole wine making process, but I seem to be well on my way to having produced my first batch of wine (World Vineyard boxed Pinot Grigio) My wife purchased all of the equipment I have through a shop my brother-in-law had used. I have both a plastic bucket primary container and a glass carboy. The kit directions have provided ample direction on racking between the two vessels, however the general directions received with the components and the juice kit differ in which container to bottle from. During racking I've used a siphon to transfer, leaving sediment in bottom of vessel being emptied. I have a bottling tool that will hook to either the siphon hose or the nipple on a spigot attached to the plastic bucket. Juice kit calls for using the siphon, while general instructions say to rack back to plastic bucket and draw through spigot. As I've got a substantial amount of sediment forming in the bottom of the carboy during the clearing stage, it makes sense that racking it over to bucket would minimize any potential sediment transfer during bottling. I'm just looking for any direction you all might have regarding your own personal bottling techniques.

 

[winemaker_3352]

How long has it been clearing? If you have that much sediment in the bottom - i would wait before bottling. I usually bottle when i have little to no sediment in the bottom of my carboy - i run it through a filter and then bottle.

 

[JohnT]

Tips (assuming that you are using natural corks...

1) do not boil the corks. You can plunge them in k-meta solution if you want to.

2) Make sure that the bottles you are filling are clean. Be sure to rinse them using k-meta solution.

3) Do not fill the bottles too low. Do not fill them too high either. remember that corks will absorb wine over time, and the void in the bottle (the ullage) will grow over time. I like to leave about a thumb's width of void between the bottom of the cork and the top of the wine.

4) Plunge. As soon as they are corked, I like to quickly plunge each bottle into a bucket of water to make sure that there is no external wine residue.

5) Stack and Wait - I then stack each bottle standing straight up. I keep them that way for a number of days to allow the corks to expand and seat.

6) Store - after a number of days, I then stack / sore the wine laying on their sides so that the wine comes in contact with the cork. I have some wines that have been sitting, undesturbed, for 20 years and are still well sealed. just try an find a place to store your wine that does not have any wild temerature swings. Garages and boiler rooms are out. For me, I have a whole corner of my "below grade" basement partitioned off.

best of luck to ya.

johnT.

 

[bluerdg]

How long has it been clearing? If you have that much sediment in the bottom - i would wait before bottling. I usually bottle when i have little to no sediment in the bottom of my carboy - i run it through a filter and then bottle.

I'm studiously following instructions provided with the Boxed Juice Kit (it's my first time) and I know it's not ready yet, only been clearing for 2 days. Kit says to start checking clarity at 14 days. The kit instructions also have in bold print that the kit is designed to have the sediment vigorously stirred back into the wine as Metabisupphite, sorbate, and isinglass are introduced. Also DO NOT Rack before stabilizing and clearing - doing so may permanently prevent clearing. This has resulted in the sediment present prior to quickly resettle. I did find a footnote about siphoning from carboy to a primary and bottling from there if concerned about disturbing sediment. From what I've read, racking is done primarily to eliminate sediment, unless there are details of a particular racking phase relevant to a particular wine. It just seemed odd that the kit was indicating it appropriate to bottle with sediment clearly visible. Seems way too easy to end up with cloudy bottles this way.

 

[Dugger]

Most will rack it off the sediment when it has cleared. It has cleared when you can see clearly through it ( white wine), clear enough to read through. Whether you bottle from a bucket or carboy is your choice, or it may be dictated by how many carboys/buckets you have available.
Some people will also filter their wine before bottling and in this case it can be done with some sediment present with very little waste.