The following excerpt is from :
THE HOME WINEMAKERS MANUAL
by Lum Eisenman
Chapter 18 Bottling
For more Lum's complete manual, please click on the following link: The Home Winemakers Manual.
"Dirty wine bottles are a potential source of contamination in the home winery. Dirty bottles should be washed and then placed in clean cartons. The cartons of clean bottles should then be stored in a clean, dry place.
All wine must be brilliantly clear and stable before it is bottled. Any blending should be done several weeks before bottling time. Early blending allows the winemaker to check the wine for several weeks to make sure the new blend is stable before bottling time.
Wines containing more than 1/4 percent residual sugar can restart fermenting anytime, and these wines must be treated in some way to insure bottle stability. Home winemakers often use potassium sorbate to prevent fermentation in off-dry or sweet wines. The right amount of sorbate must be added, and wines treated with sorbate should also contain at least 30 milligrams per liter of free sulfur dioxide.
Oxidation is the most common fault found in homemade wines, and some wine oxidation always occurs during bottling. A bottle filler of some kind should be used, and the bottles should be filled slowly from the bottom with a minimum of splashing and bubbling. Corks should be set flush or slightly below the lip of the bottle. All bottled wine should have an appropriate label to identify the contents. Custom wine labels are easy to make using a home computer."
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