# Sparkling Wine using Soda Stream!



## ibglowin (May 10, 2016)

So I picked up a Soda Stream a few weeks back and have been playing with it and picking up different flavors of pop off Amazon. So far so good. I like the pop flavors but Soda Stream is using Sucralose instead of Aspartame so it takes some time to get used to the flavor change from the sweetener. I finally decided to play around and try and make some sparking wine out of still wine. So far I carbed a bottle of my Spanish Vino Blanco as well as my Oregon Pinot Gris. The Vino Blanco was amazing. Tasted exactly like a Vinho Verde. Perfect. The Pinot Gris was good but I may have over carbed it. The CO2 does affect the taste as most of us know and I think here is a perfect example where "less is more". I hit the Vino Blanco with about 3 hits of CO2 and the Pinot Gris with about 5-6 hits. Came out with more fizz but also more metallic taste/bite on the tongue that is not there with the still wine. So this is fun to play with for sure. Works well, and is easy to setup and use. I had to add about 24 marbles to raise the liquid level up to the line as a bottle of wine is only 750ml and you need closer to 900ml to get to the fill line. I have done the research as well to minimize CO2 cost compared to using Soda Stream refills so that was another fun journey. Happy to share.

Pictures of the carbing process and final product below.

Another toy in the winemakers toolbox for sure!


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## Rmarsh (May 10, 2016)

I have a Sodastream myself, and never thought of using it this way! I'm curious about the size and consistency of the bubbles, are they large like I get with any other bottle I carbonate with the machine?


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## JohnT (May 11, 2016)

Nice Mike! I often wondered how well that would work.


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## ibglowin (May 11, 2016)

Carbonation seems to look the same as water. I added the pics just so you could see how it looks in the glass right after the pour.



Rmarsh said:


> I'm curious about the size and consistency of the bubbles, are they large like I get with any other bottle I carbonate with the machine?


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## BernardSmith (May 11, 2016)

Does wine carbonate in the same way as water? We have the "Play" model and Sodastream strongly advises not to carbonate flavored water but to add flavors after carbonation. Hence my question.


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## ibglowin (May 11, 2016)

Pretty much. Soda Stream recommends carbing water only and not anything else because you risk plugging up the tip with dried goop (inside) if your not careful. To be safe just carb some water afterwards and you should have no problems.


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## BernardSmith (May 11, 2016)

ibglowin said:


> Pretty much. Soda Stream recommends carbing water only and not anything else because you risk plugging up the tip with dried goop (inside) if your not careful. To be safe just carb some water afterwards and you should have no problems.



Aha! Thanks ibglowin. That makes good sense... I am going to try to carb me some elderflower wine...


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## BlueStimulator (May 11, 2016)

That is awesome


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## thruhike00 (May 11, 2016)

Mike,

Recently purchased a soda stream to try this as well, just haven't had the time. We do a Saturday or Sunday morning get together with the neighbors and have breakfast with all the kids. Typically have a round of mimosas to welcome in the day. Any wine in particular that you would recommend trying to use the soda stream to get close to a sparkling wine that would work to make a drinkable mimosa? Thanks!


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## JDesCotes (May 11, 2016)

I have done this for about 5 months now. 

A couple of things to note:
1. Most Sodastream models WILL NOT WORK. rule of thumb: if the bottle screws in it should work, if it "clicks in" it won't. The click in models have a safety feature to prevent the unit from blowing up if over pressurized but that just leads to wine exploding everywhere when used. I personally use the Genesis model to great success. 

2. DO NOT use any back sweetened wine. Use dry wines only, sugar syrup can be used after carbonation if you like your wine sweeter. 

3. Take your time taking it off the Sodastream, I normally take between 3-5 minutes after carbonation to slowly let off the pressure. If you don't, it will fizz everywhere and cause a huge mess.

Edit: unsweetened skeeterpee works GREAT for mimosas


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## terrymck (May 11, 2016)

Why can't you lengthen the tip of the S/S and eliminate the marbles?


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## ibglowin (May 11, 2016)

You probably could with the right type of tubing as long as it didn't blow it off. I simply used what I already had on hand to quickly fix the problem and try it out.


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## ibglowin (May 11, 2016)

I would think any dry white wine would work just fine for a mimosa since your adding OJ with sugar to it afterwards. I don't see any issues carbing an off dry wine along as you immediately clear the unit by carbing some water afterwards.

I purchased mine from Amazon and got an "old school" designed one in which the bottles screw in to the holder, no "carbonation lights" etc.



thruhike00 said:


> Mike,
> 
> Recently purchased a soda stream to try this as well, just haven't had the time. We do a Saturday or Sunday morning get together with the neighbors and have breakfast with all the kids. Typically have a round of mimosas to welcome in the day. Any wine in particular that you would recommend trying to use the soda stream to get close to a sparkling wine that would work to make a drinkable mimosa? Thanks!


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## bkisel (May 11, 2016)

Very inventive! Talk about thinking outside the box.


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## MilesDavis (May 11, 2016)

Fun. Since I both keg beer and weld, I have CO2 cylinders around. I bought one of those carbonator caps. Carbonate damn near everything I can find. Fizzy strawberry wine rocks.


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## Boatboy24 (May 11, 2016)

Mike: Do you plan on carbing and bottling, or just when the mood strikes?


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## Runningwolf (May 11, 2016)

Mike thanks for posting, I am a fan of Soda Stream. I've been using it for about two years now at work.I use it for bench trials when I want to make a sparkling wine and see what it might turn out like. I respectfully disagree with a previous poster about carbing a back sweetened wine. I do it all the time. Silly me though I never keep notes on how many pumps to give it. Yes, I've had a few very messy episodes. I am actually thinking about getting one for at home also. This would be a great addition to anyone doing Skeeter Pee, DB or Island Mist kits.


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## ibglowin (May 11, 2016)

I will just bottle as normal dry or off dry and then carb when the mood strikes me. If you carb and then bottle you risk the corks a popping unless you use Champagne corks and a cage.

I carbed an off dry Oregon Pinot Gris yesterday and didn't do anything except wipe down the tube. Today at lunch I made a liter of Diet Cola and it was not plugged.

There are videos where people are hitting still wine with like 13-15 shots of CO2. That makes for lots of fizz and bubbles but also a higher probability of a volcano if you don't release the pressure in multiple step downs.

Caveat Emptor!



Boatboy24 said:


> Mike: Do you plan on carbing and bottling, or just when the mood strikes?


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## Jericurl (Nov 16, 2016)

I can't believe I missed this thread!

I'm not wanting to really invest in a whole keg/carbonating setup, so a Soda Stream would work well for us.

Do you guys think I could use this to carb meads and then bottle them in the 500ml flip top bottles?


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## ibglowin (Nov 16, 2016)

Should work as long as the flip top seals I would guess. The wine/mead should be clear obviously and make sure to clean the tip after use with a wet rag so the wine/mead doesn't dry and plug up the tip at the end. Make sure to get one of the older systems like this one from Amazon:

Soda Stream

After this model Soda Stream started to produce machines that were increasingly harder and harder to "hack" to use "alternate" sources of CO2. This model will allow you to use a paint ball CO2 canister which can be refilled for a few dollars and last much longer than the standard Soda Stream CO2 canisters.


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## Jericurl (Nov 16, 2016)

ibglowin said:


> Should work as long as the flip top seals I would guess. The wine/mead should be clear obviously and make sure to clean the tip after use with a wet rag so the wine/mead doesn't dry and plug up the tip at the end. Make sure to get one of the older systems like this one from Amazon:
> 
> Soda Stream
> 
> After this model Soda Stream started to produce machines that were increasingly harder and harder to "hack" to use "alternate" sources of CO2. This model will allow you to use a paint ball CO2 canister which can be refilled for a few dollars and last much longer than the standard Soda Stream CO2 canisters.



Fantastic, thanks!


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## Jericurl (Nov 16, 2016)

@ibglowin

We were looking at the Soda Stream Genesis, is that the correct one?

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ETUNPM2/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20


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## ibglowin (Nov 16, 2016)

That looks to be a newer one. You can tell by the fact that is only has ~200 reviews. Soda Stream just seems to keep making them increasingly harder and harder to play around with. The one I linked to is only $69 if you get the black/silver colored model.


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## Jericurl (Nov 16, 2016)

ibglowin said:


> That looks to be a newer one. You can tell by the fact that is only has ~200 reviews. Soda Stream just seems to keep making them increasingly harder and harder to play around with. The one I linked to is only $69 if you get the black/silver colored model.



Great, that sounds good to me.


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## ibglowin (Nov 16, 2016)

If you get that model it will come with a tiny 4oz CO2 canister. Mine was actually empty. You take that canister to your closest store that sells Soda Stream products and they will swap that out for a full 60L Soda Stream canister at no charge. That will get you going and last for a couple months depending on how much you use it.


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## Boatboy24 (Feb 16, 2017)

Bumping this. Can you carb in bottles other than the plastic SodaStream bottles? Thinking about getting a hard lemonade kit, then bottling in beer bottles. Wondering if I'd have to carb in the SS bottle, then pour into beer bottles. Obviously, you'll lose some carbonation doing this, so I'd rather carb it up right in the beer bottle.


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## ibglowin (Feb 16, 2017)

No, You have to use their bottle as it screws on to the upper portion and makes the seal. You then push a button to let the CO2 flow into the bottle via the tube inside. Unscrew and then then you would have to pour into your beer or wine bottle and cap/cork.



Boatboy24 said:


> Bumping this. Can you carb in bottles other than the plastic SodaStream bottles? Thinking about getting a hard lemonade kit, then bottling in beer bottles. Wondering if I'd have to carb in the SS bottle, then pour into beer bottles. Obviously, you'll lose some carbonation doing this, so I'd rather carb it up right in the beer bottle.


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## Boatboy24 (Feb 16, 2017)

ibglowin said:


> No, You have to use their bottle as it screws on to the upper portion and makes the seal. You then push a button to let the CO2 flow into the bottle via the tube inside. Unscrew and then then you would have to pour into your beer or wine bottle and cap/cork.



Hmmm. A lot of extra work. Might still be worth it though.


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## ibglowin (Feb 16, 2017)

I just carb it as I need it.



Boatboy24 said:


> Hmmm. A lot of extra work. Might still be worth it though.


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## Boatboy24 (Feb 20, 2017)

My Sodastream arrived today. I was hoping to find a sparkling Rose to bring to our friends' place last night, but everything I saw was sweet - I wanted dry or off dry. As luck would have it, there was a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc Rose in the winery fridge, so I got to work for today's cocktail hour. I guess there's a trick to it, or after a few tries you get the feel for it. I thought I'd over-carbed, but no. First glass has a slight carbonation, but not too noticeable. I'll top up the bottle and try again. All in the name of science, right? 

The carbonation definitely adds a layer of bitterness - not much, but almost a slight essence of grapefruit zest/pith. Its interesting. Next time I'll try it with the Cucumber Melon Sauvignon Blanc, which is sweeter.


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## ceeaton (Feb 20, 2017)

Boatboy24 said:


> Next time I'll try it with the Cucumber Melon Sauvignon Blanc, which is sweeter.



There is something about a dry Pinot Grigio carbonated, very champagne like with enough fruitiness to make it quite interesting. I have a couple of gallons still in my little keg if you want to drive up here and try some...


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## Boatboy24 (Feb 20, 2017)

ceeaton said:


> There is something about a dry Pinot Grigio carbonated, very champagne like with enough fruitiness to make it quite interesting. I have a couple of gallons still in my little keg if you want to drive up here and try some...



Yep, be right there.


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## ibglowin (Feb 20, 2017)

Did I miss how that turned out/tasted? LOL



Boatboy24 said:


> Next time I'll try it with the Cucumber Melon Sauvignon Blanc, which is sweeter.


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## Boatboy24 (Feb 20, 2017)

ibglowin said:


> Did I miss how that turned out/tasted? LOL



When you're in the mood for something a little sweeter, its pretty darn good. I goosed up the ABV and used about 2/3 of the f-pac in primary. Even then, still didn't use all of the remaining 1/3 to back sweeten.


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## joeswine (Dec 20, 2022)

ibglowin said:


> So I picked up a Soda Stream a few weeks back and have been playing with it and picking up different flavors of pop off Amazon. So far so good. I like the pop flavors but Soda Stream is using Sucralose instead of Aspartame so it takes some time to get used to the flavor change from the sweetener. I finally decided to play around and try and make some sparking wine out of still wine. So far I carbed a bottle of my Spanish Vino Blanco as well as my Oregon Pinot Gris. The Vino Blanco was amazing. Tasted exactly like a Vinho Verde. Perfect. The Pinot Gris was good but I may have over carbed it. The CO2 does affect the taste as most of us know and I think here is a perfect example where "less is more". I hit the Vino Blanco with about 3 hits of CO2 and the Pinot Gris with about 5-6 hits. Came out with more fizz but also more metallic taste/bite on the tongue that is not there with the still wine. So this is fun to play with for sure. Works well, and is easy to setup and use. I had to add about 24 marbles to raise the liquid level up to the line as a bottle of wine is only 750ml and you need closer to 900ml to get to the fill line. I have done the research as well to minimize CO2 cost compared to using Soda Stream refills so that was another fun journey. Happy to share.
> 
> Pictures of the carbing process and final product below.
> 
> ...


Do your say


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## joeswine (Dec 20, 2022)

joeswine said:


> Do your say


So you’re saying that you need to raise the liquid level to the soda mark ?
Which soda steam did you buy ? Or it a standardized


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## vinny (Dec 20, 2022)

joeswine said:


> So you’re saying that you need to raise the liquid level to the soda mark ?
> Which soda steam did you buy ? Or it a standardized


You do not need to have the wine over the level of the tube. The pressure of the CO2 in the bottle is enough to infuse the wine. You can also give it a shake to get more in there.

I found that things like hard lemonade, or dragon's blood needed less 'hits' and were more likely to foam and make a bit of a mess. A spray bottle of your favorite no rinse sanitizer, or water will fix it right up. Just don't let it dry or clog up your tip and you have the cheapest carbonater possible.


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## ibglowin (Dec 20, 2022)

Hey Joe,

I think my sodastream bottle is 1L and a bottle of wine is of course 750ml so I used some marbles to raise the liquid level up so the tube would be in the liquid. You could also use a home made tube extension as well but I tried several and it seemed like they just kept blowing off the end. Marbles were an easy fast fix.



joeswine said:


> So you’re saying that you need to raise the liquid level to the soda mark ?
> Which soda steam did you buy ? Or it a standardized


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## vinny (Dec 20, 2022)

ibglowin said:


> Hey Joe,
> 
> I think my sodastream bottle is 1L and a bottle of wine is of course 750ml so I used some marbles to raise the liquid level up so the tube would be in the liquid. You could also use a home made tube extension as well but I tried several and it seemed like they just kept blowing off the end. Marbles were an easy fast fix.


Are you still using this method?


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## ibglowin (Dec 20, 2022)

vinny said:


> Are you still using this method?


Yes, I don't always carb my wines. But when I do I use a sodastream........


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## joeswine (Dec 21, 2022)

ibglowin said:


> Yes, I don't always carb my wines. But when I do I use a sodastream........
> 
> View attachment 96588


I think I’ll get one , model # you used??


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## ibglowin (Dec 21, 2022)

joeswine said:


> I think I’ll get one , model # you used??


They quit making the model I purchased years ago because it was easy to modify and make it work with non Sodastream CO2 bottles (which is why I bought it of course). I bought adapters to allow me to use paintball gun CO2 canisters that could be refilled for cheap at sporting goods stores etc. These days it looks like people are selling adaptors still that allow you to refill a Sodastream canister by using a larger CO2 canister of some sort. I think cost to swap out (exchange) a Sodastream canister is ~$15-$20 these days.

This one is a current model sold online that looks the closest to mine.



https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07Q3966XW?ref=emc_p_m_5_i


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## joeswine (Dec 21, 2022)

thank you just placed the order, and fun time is on the horizon


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## joeswine (Dec 21, 2022)

joeswine said:


> thank you just placed the order, and fun time is on the horizon


ill be back for adaptor advice


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## Bmd2k1 (Dec 21, 2022)

ibglowin said:


> They quit making the model I purchased years ago because it was easy to modify and make it work with non Sodastream CO2 bottles (which is why I bought it of course). I bought adapters to allow me to use paintball gun CO2 canisters that could be refilled for cheap at sporting goods stores etc. These days it looks like people are selling adaptors still that allow you to refill a Sodastream canister by using a larger CO2 canister of some sort. I think cost to swap out (exchange) a Sodastream canister is ~$15-$20 these days.
> 
> This one is a current model sold online that looks the closest to mine.
> 
> ...


Intrigued! ...but have a few ?s

- 100psi wine bottles would work with this? (I'm looking to use 1L swingtop bottles)
- how many bottles can you sparkle up on a C02 canister?
- is the amount of C02 put into a bottle adjustable?
- do you cork immediately after sparkling up a bottle?
- any other tips/tricks et al for peeps considering this option?

Thanks and Cheers!


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## joeswine (Dec 21, 2022)

joeswine said:


> thank you just placed the order, and fun time is on the horizon


need a classroom can you provide


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## Raptor99 (Dec 21, 2022)

When you do this, do you just carbonate one bottle at a time, just before drinking?


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## ibglowin (Dec 21, 2022)

Raptor99 said:


> When you do this, do you just carbonate one bottle at a time, just before drinking?


Yes, it takes just 15-20 seconds.


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## ibglowin (Dec 21, 2022)

Bmd2k1 said:


> Intrigued! ...but have a few ?s
> 
> - 100psi wine bottles would work with this? (I'm looking to use 1L swingtop bottles)
> - how many bottles can you sparkle up on a C02 canister?
> ...



You have to use the supplied sodastream plastic bottle. I suppose you could pour the wine back into a wine bottle but have never tried. I only carb and then drink immediately pouring from the sodastream bottle into a wine glass or champagne flute.

I would say you could carb ~50 bottles aprox. It depends on how many shots of CO2 you hit the bottle with. 3-5 shots is about max. I see some of the more expensive machines now are plug in type with led indicators and buttons for things like carb level. The cheaper machines are non electric, just a simple push button on top to release a shot of CO2. You want more CO2 you just hit it with another shot until it reaches a carb level you like. If you give it too much CO2 when you unscrew it, the bottle could foam up and out if you over carb it.


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## ibglowin (Dec 21, 2022)

joeswine said:


> need a classroom can you provide


Its simple, just pour your wine in and if you need to, add marbles to raise the volume up to the fill line on the bottle. Attache the bottle to the machine by screwing it on. Hit the button on top to send CO2 into the wine for 2-3 seconds. You can usually hit it with 3-5 burst of CO2. Let it sit for a bit to settle and then slowly unscrew the bottle and either cap the bottle or pour your wine into glasses and serve. Chill the wine before hand so its ready to drink and CO2 will go/stay in solution better at cooler temps.

I would always wipe the tip off with a wet rag when your done. You don't want the tip to plug up with dried wine.


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## joeswine (Dec 23, 2022)

ibglowin said:


> Its simple, just pour your wine in and if you need to, add marbles to raise the volume up to the fill line on the bottle. Attache the bottle to the machine by screwing it on. Hit the button on top to send CO2 into the wine for 2-3 seconds. You can usually hit it with 3-5 burst of CO2. Let it sit for a bit to settle and then slowly unscrew the bottle and either cap the bottle or pour your wine into glasses and serve. Chill the wine before hand so its ready to drink and CO2 will go/stay in solution better at cooler temps.
> 
> I would always wipe the tip off with a wet rag when your done. You don't want the tip to plug up with dried wine.


Right after new year I’ll start to employ the soda stream and will as k again , ok?


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## vinny (Dec 23, 2022)

Bmd2k1 said:


> Intrigued! ...but have a few ?s
> 
> - 100psi wine bottles would work with this? (I'm looking to use 1L swingtop bottles)
> - how many bottles can you sparkle up on a C02 canister?
> ...


This is more of a carbonate and drink option. I am sure you could use the included bottle and carbonate wine in that and transfer to your swing tops, but it is really a 15 second thing to carbonate before drinking. The colder anything is the easier it is to carbonate.

I think it is something like 120 liter bottles you can carbonate per canister, and you can do anything from a light sparkle to burning bubbly. you just pulse the gas. once, a little bubbly. Twice or more, a lot of bubbly. The bottle only holds so much pressure before the seal leaks so you hit the gas a few times and the bottle 'farts', you can still hit it with more gas, but you can't pressure the bottle beyond that point.

the bottles thread into the soda stream so unless you get a thread adapter, no wine bottle. I have an adapter so I can use a commercial co2 tank, and I can thread plastic beer bottles into mine. 

Totally worth it for me. Once you get one you will see there is nothing to it. No lessons needed


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