I Bottled Last Night!

[JoaniB]

Last night I finally got off my... couch, and bottled some of my dad's old rhubarb wine. I figured it would be a good experience before trying to start my own wine, getting some practice in sanitizing, siphoning, and not spilling everywhere.

It was also good to practice with a wine that has been sitting around/aging for 15 years, and to get to know how some equipment works. For example, I now know that my corker will not destroy bottles, but there's a good reason why people like the floor model.

Lessons I learned last night:
The snap thingy on the siphon is not always closed.
Don't turn your back on a filling bottle.
Don't have things like rags doing double-duty.
The floor will get a little messy, no matter what.
Do your best to have everything within arm's reach.
Wash your hands once you're done.

Now I get to move to the next phase: actually making wine. (I walked before I crawled as a baby, and it's like I never stopped...)

 

[Rocky]

JoaniB, do I understand correctly that the wine you bottled was 15 years old?! Was it in carboys for all that time? Wow.

I liked your lessons learned and I would like to help you with some of them.

I find that if I soak my rubber hose in very hot water before starting, the hose is more pliable and the clamp works more reliably. It is also a good idea to place the bottles you are filling in a large rubber or plastic tub. If you have an over flow, the tub will catch it. In a pinch, a plastic bucket will also work. Wash your hands before and after filling and sanitize your hands with K-meta solution (3 T per gallon of water).

Good luck on your future endeavors.

 

[JoaniB]

Hi, Rocky,

Yes, my dad used to make a lot of wine. The last batch he made before he quit, 15 years ago, was rhubarb wine, and he never got around to bottling it (it was in gallon-jugs - lots of sediment at the bottom). He was thinking of getting rid of his equipment, so I said I'd take it.

Is it good wine? Well, I wouldn't enjoy drinking it with dinner. It's not 'cut' with anything, and even Dad says it would do better being blended with something.

Those are brilliant ideas - the 'duh, why didn't I think of that' type that I will definitely use next time.

 

[btom2004]

Did you taste the wine, to see if it had spoiled? I thought you had to add some K-meta every six months or so, to keep it from spoiling during bulck aging.