Planning to bottle

[Zog]

Okay, I think my first batch (Vino del Vida Valpolicella) is ready to bottle. I'm hoping to do that in the morning, but I have a couple questions. I've gleaned a lot of useful ideas on this forum, but I'm fuzzy on some details.

Should I rinse the inside of the bottles one more time just prior to sanitizing them?

I have one of those vinator/sulphiter gadgets and was planning to use K-Meta. For the bottles do I use the same 3 tbsp/gallon solution that I've used for equipment sanitation? Or should it be a different solution?

For the corks, I was thinking of rinsing them in water and then putting them in a colander inside a primary, then splashing a couple cups of K-Meta over them and letting them sit in the fumes for ten minutes or so. Is that all I need to do with the corks?

Should the corks be dry or wet when I put them in the bottles? I have a two lever hand corker.

Thanks

 

[Wade E]

For the corks you just need to use the same k-meta solotion as you will for your bottles which is the 3 tbles per gallon . Just place your corks in the collander over your primary and pour some solution over the corks and thn throw the lid on for 5 minutes as the gases do most of the work. The vinator will do a great job of sanitizing those bottles, thats what I do.

 

[summersolstice]

I too use the k-meta solution with the vinator and bottle tree. I use the same solution that I use for sanitizing and let the bottle drip dry for a short while. I don't bother rinsing because the small amount of k-meta won't hurt it a bit and may help. As for the corks, I drop 4-5 at a time in the k-meta solution and cork right away.

 

[Green Mountains]

First bottling. I remember that. Very exciting.

It's a Rite of Passage, Zog. Once you bottle your first one you can proudly exclaim .... "I am a winemaker".

Have fun, and try not to lose too much on the floor. You'll understand tomorrow.

 

[Runningwolf]

For the corks you just need to use the same k-meta solotion as you will for your bottles which is the 3 tbles per gallon . Just place your corks in the collander over your primary and pour some solution over the corks and thn throw the lid on for 5 minutes as the gases do most of the work. The vinator will do a great job of sanitizing those bottles, thats what I do.

I agree with Wade

 

[Teamsterjohn]

Hey guys, all the talk about sanitizing. What do you do about the bottleing tree? Is it a good idea to have a spray bottle with some K-meta in it to spray the tree?

 

[rawlus]

Hey guys, all the talk about sanitizing. What do you do about the bottleing tree? Is it a good idea to have a spray bottle with some K-meta in it to spray the tree?

i have a ferrari vinator on top of the tree that does a kmeta spritz into the bottles before they go on the tree, this serves as sanitizing the branches of the tree in the process. the vinator is really very handy and allows the whole process to go sort of assembly-line like. it doesnt seem like much of a gadget but it grows on you.

short of that, if you are doing a kmeta rinse or spray into the bottles before draining on the tree, that should be sufficient treatment (bottles gas off the kmeta as they dripdry on the tree) to also take care of the "branches". assuming of course the tree is otherwise "clean" and not filthy from a basement shelf or something.

 

[Tom]

Yep thats what I do and never had a problem. great little tool (vinator). Everyone should make sure its part of equipment used.

 

[djrockinsteve]

I have a bottling tree and although it says I don't have to sanitize it I do. Plus the middle of the tree is a great place to allow a carboy to drip dry.

 

[Teamsterjohn]

OK, I have both of them, Great, Thanks

 

[Zog]

Woo Hoo! 28 3/4 bottles corked... or I should say 28 corked and 3/4 of a bottle to drink with dinner.

I noticed that if I didn't drive the corks in one fast motion of the corker, they didn't go in flush. Nothing short of a rubber mallet would get them in farther.

 

[Green Mountains]

Enjoy. Don't be alarmed if the first taste isn't what you expected.....age cures a lot.

 

[Zog]

I've tasted it a few times over the past couple weeks. Gets better every time, already better than some I've tasted.