# Heat Sterilization for Wine Bottles



## Jwatson (Jan 25, 2011)

I am new to wine making, but I have been brewing beer for sometime. The table below is for those who may not want to buy/store a bottle tree or mess with sanitizers during bottling time. I reprinted it from John Palmer's _How to Brew_. I use a bottle blaster to rinse after a good soak in TSP (I recycle my bottles). I also use the lowest heat setting on the table below, since wine bottles are not pyrex, and I don't want any small cracks. Since it worked with beer bottles, I figure it will work with wine bottles. Let them cool in the oven.

Heat Sterilization


338°F (170°C) -- 60 minute

320°F (160°C) -- 120 minutes

302°F (150°C) -- 150 minutes

284°F (140°C) -- 180 minutes

250°F (121°C) -- 12 hours (Overnight)

If anyone thinks this is bad for wine bottles, let us know.


----------



## GerardVineyard (Jan 25, 2011)

Sterilization is not neccessary, just proper sanitizing. Using Saniclean or Kmeta is much easier and only takes 3-4 minutes of contact time.


----------



## JohnT (Jan 25, 2011)

Like what is said above, Don't bother heating your bottles. 

Unlike canning, where exposed food will spoil, Wine is very stable and not very vunerable to spoilage (provided that the PH level is correct and that the free sulfur (SO2) level is correct. 

Simply use the proper amount of K-meta in your wine, and rinse your clean bottles in k-meta solution, you you will be fine. 

Have not had a bottle spoil on me yet.


----------



## robie (Jan 25, 2011)

As has already been said, you don't have to sterilize. I recently read an article from UC Davis that said no known human carcinogenic can survive in wine.

If you feel better about doing a full sterilization, you should do it. What works for beer bottles should work fine for wine bottles.


----------



## Minnesotamaker (Jan 25, 2011)

Now I know why it's so bloody hot in Florida!


----------



## Jwatson (Jan 25, 2011)

It was a high of 67 today


----------

