WineXpert Sanitizing bottles

[Plymouthpete]

I've been a reader of this forum for several months now. My wife suggestged a couple months ago that I take up another hobby (wine making), golf season is winding down in the hills of Connecticut, and my Koi and shubunkins in my Koi pond are bedding down for the winter. Two months ago we started our first batch of Late Harvest Riesling, we bottled 5 bottles and put the rest of the wine from a 6 gal. carboy to a 5 gal. that is now bulk aging in our cellar hatchway. We also have 6 gals of Pinot Noir aging in a carboy next to the Riesling. We got so hooked on the great aromas coming from the primary and secondary fermentations, we then started 3 gals of Ice wine and 3 gals of Cream Sherry, both are in the clarification stage right now. Last week we started a 6 gal batch of Merlot. As you can tell, when I start something I jump in all the way.

Finally here is my question. After reading this forum daily, I am still a little puzzled about bottling. What I have done so far is rinse the bottles, then sanitize them with a solution of Potassium Metabisulfite then rinse them again with hot waterand hang them on the bottle tree until we are ready to bottle.

Should I rinse the PM from the bottles prior to bottling or leave a coating of it on the inside of the bottles? I don't want to overdose my wines with too much sulfite, yet I don't want to put my wine in an unsanitary bottle.





thanks in advance for some bottling answers

Pete

Edited by: Plymouthpete

 

[masta]

Pete,


Congrats on finding the great hobby of winemaking which will save you money unlike golf!


There is no need to rinse your bottles after sanitizing with K-meta as the very small amount left in the bottle (1-2 ppm) will not overdose your wine.


"Clean-Sanitize-Drain-Fill"

 

[Francie]

I am glad you asked this, I too, was wondering the same thing. I became friends with a girl who owns a wine shop and she gives me her old bottles, which I have been trying to "clean up". Consequently I have an abundance of bottles!! My question was the same regarding rinsing!!


Thanks!


Francie

 

[Wade E]

Hi Plymouthpete, I live in Middlebury, Ct. not to far away from you if
you live in plymouth. Masta is right as you dont have to rinse them
afterwards. Thje amount left is very miniscule and for anyone who
doesnt know this, after sanitizing, the wine wine should be bottled
within four hours. After that I've heard that the sanitizer exposed to
air will lose its life expectancy.

 

[Plymouthpete]

Thanks everyone for the quick responses. I guess I'll give the bottles another shot of K-meta before we bottle today.


Wade, perhaps we can get together one of these days at Leo's for coffee to talk wine.

 

[kutya]

Welcome Pete... you sound like you have jumped right in. good work. I have always assumed that putting the bottles on the tree drains out any excess sanitizer....

 

[Wade E]

Hi Plymouthpete, thats the one on South Main street in Southbury right?

 

[Plymouthpete]

Wade Wade, actually it's on Straits Tpk. in the plaza across from the I-84 off ramp for Watertown

 

[scotty]

Hi Plymouthpete, I live in Middlebury, Ct. not to far away from you if you live in plymouth. Masta is right as you dont have to rinse them afterwards. Thje amount left is very miniscule and for anyone who doesnt know this, after sanitizing, the wine wine should be bottled within four hours. After that I've heard that the sanitizer exposed to air will lose its life expectancy.

I just learned about the time factor after sanitizing. That makes sense.


THANKS Wade

 

[scotty]

Thanks everyone for the quick responses. I guess I'll give the bottles another shot of K-meta before we bottle today.


Wade, perhaps we can get together one of these days at Leo's for coffee to talk wine.

OR DRINK SOME TOO

 

[winesnob]

After I sanitize mine, I just hang them upside down in the drying rack George sells. Then bring them down to my filling station...no rinsing.

Wait a minute...drinking coffee and talking wine??? You two are not worried about two guys being seen drinking wine are you??

 

[summergirl]

glad to see I am not alone.my husband and I started a merlot wine kit last thursday ....lambruso on saturday andon plan on starting a strawberry, looking fo a good recipe .We would like to make a 3 gallon strawberry.


Summergirl

 

[Coaster]

I collect from my friends, most of who now rinse with hot water and store upside down for me. When I do a batch of bottles, I wash with hot water and a cleaner and bottle brush while soaking to get the labels off. The I run them through the diswasher on sterilize setting with extra rinse. I store them in big buckets until time to bottle when I sanitize with k-meta.Edited by: Coaster

 

[OGrav]

glad to see I am not alone.my husband and I started a merlot wine kit last thursday ....lambruso on saturday andon plan on starting a strawberry, looking fo a good recipe .We would like to make a 3 gallon strawberry.


Summergirl

Fresh/frozen fruit or concentrate?

 

[summergirl]

frozen

 

[NorthernWinos]

Here is a Site with some recipes...they might help you out...

http://www.finevinewines.com/wine-making-recipe.htm

or here...

http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/request.asp

or here...

http://mywinerecipes.com/

Good luck in your winemaking ventures...and keep us Posted on your wines...