At last, your work has come to fruition. You’ve spent several hours on your preparatory work, ensuring that the fermentation process goes smoothly. You’ve measured your yeast and sugar. You’ve waited patiently for over a month and now the wine is ready for bottling.
Now what?
Well, the next step would, of course, be to bottle your wine. Sounds simple, no? Well, as it turns out, the bottling process requires a bit more finesse than one might think. For example, if your wine is not yet properly fermented or lacks sulphites, the wine may fall victim to spoilage. Sulphites prevent oxidation which can turn a good wine sour. Furthermore, you want your wine to be free of any carbon dioxide, as carbon dioxide saturation can expand, potentially breaking the bottles. On the flip side of this, carbonation may also leave you with a sparkling wine. If this sounds up your alley, then by all means go ahead and leave the carbonation as is. But for the sake of this article, we will continue on with the traditional wine bottling process.
One may do away with excessive carbon dioxide by stirring it out of the wine. This may be done by adding chemicals that act as fining agents and stirring until the bubbles in the wine dissipate. If you decide to work without fining agents, be sure to double-check the wine and make sure it is rid of any carbon dioxide.
Next, clean and sanitize your bottles completely. If there is dirt or residue at the bottom of the wines, even if it is just a miniscule amount, dissolve it. You can get rid of underlying dirt and gunk by soaking the bottles in a chemical solutions or rinse them with soap and hot water until not trace of dirt or other residue is left. You will also want to rinse out your bottles with a sulphite solution before bottling your wine. This prevents any potential growth of organisms within the bottle.
Now that your bottles are clean, you may begin bottling your homemade wine. You will need a siphoning apparatus, namely a hose and rod. Furthermore, siphon fillers are optimal tools that allow for a balanced filling process. It can also prevent wine spillage.
Once you’ve properly siphoned your wine into the bottle, you can cork them. Now, corks vary in quality and size and there is a direct correlation between the quality of the cork and the quality of the wine as it ages. If you plan on drinking your wine soon after bottling, then a shorter cork will suffice; however, if you wish to wait six months or longer to drink your wine, go ahead and spend the extra money on a higher-end cork. Your taste buds will thank you.
Now your wine is finished. You can store homemade wine in a cool, dry place, such as a wine cellar, until you are ready to drink it. So sit back, pull out a good book, crack open that bottle of homemade wine and enjoy the fruits of your labors. And remember, the glass is always half-full.
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