# bottle cleaning / sanitizing



## AAASTINKIE (Mar 5, 2005)

I tested my bottling equiptment today, the brass bottle washer that
ataches to the kitchen faucet worked great. I bought one of those
draining trees for 20 and it is great, I would have thought they would
be more money, holds 45 bottles. I just need the sanitizer that fits on
top and I'm all set!


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## Hippie (Mar 5, 2005)

The sanitizer is called a vinator, I think. I could not do without my bottle tree and vinator. I prewash the bottles when I get them from a restaurant and other people, then all I gotta do is squirt up in them with the K-Meta. solution in the vinator, hang them on the tree, and bottle.


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## Maineiak (Mar 5, 2005)

I love the vinator. It really speeds up the sanitizing process when bottling. I didn't buy the bottle tree however. I just put my bottles in a dish drainer after they are sanitized. The bottle tree just looked to me like it would take up a bunch of space and would be rather difficult to clean too.


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## Hippie (Mar 6, 2005)

No need to clean the bottle tree, it just gets coated with either clear water or k-Meta. solution now and then. Nuttin ain't growin on that! It does take up alot of space though. One must always weigh pros and cons.


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## AAASTINKIE (Mar 8, 2005)

I have been looking someone had a picture with clear wine bottles with finevinewines corks in them, and they had a lip on top of the bottle, does anyone know what the name of that bottle type is?


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## Hippie (Mar 9, 2005)

They are called 'bartop'. The bottles you speak of are used Beringer White Zin bottles. I had to get a Portuguese benchtop corker to handle them.


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## MedPretzel (Mar 9, 2005)

I also think Sutter Home uses them. I get WAY too many from my mom.


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## Hippie (Mar 10, 2005)

I like the tiny little 187 ml screwtop bottles from Sutter Home White Merlot. Yummy little suckers and good bottles to put BB liqueur in. *Edited by: Country Wine *


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## MedPretzel (Mar 10, 2005)

I use them all the time for my "leftovers" and samples. If I want to give someone a good sampling of my wine, but I don't want to give a whole bottle away, I have those. For one gallon batches, I usually yield 4 big bottles (750 ml) and 4 little ones (187 ml). Works out great, and people seem to like them. 





I have a place where they serve them, and they're always saving some for me.



The last time I went (about a month ago), I got about 35 of the small ones, 12 of the big ones.


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## Hippie (Mar 11, 2005)

Good for you, go back and get more.


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## MedPretzel (Mar 11, 2005)

But I have to warn anyone who is considering doing this:You must bring some patience with you - and a big bottle of goof-off. These little 187 bottles have these "plastic" labels that usually peel off in one pull (I've become an expert lately), but they leave behind a sticky residue that really is not very easy to get off.


It's a longer process, but I love those little bottles. And my beer bottles. Often, I like to try how some wines are aging, and this is a perfect way to do so without opening a big bottle of wine. A word of caution, though: It has been said that the amount of airspace is a factor for aging. I try to leave as little as airspaceeas possible in the smaller bottles. (gosh, I'd say a 1/4 of an inch in the 187, maybe 1/2 inch in the beer bottles)... So far, it seems to be working.


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## AAASTINKIE (Mar 12, 2005)

I bottled today, my wildberry schiraz, I used my bottle tree and
vinator for the first time, I'm sure these two items took most of the
work out of sanitizing the bottles, I filled a case, 12, of 750's and
15 375's, and one 1.5 gal. plastic bag that I cut a hole in a small box
to put the spout out of in the refrigerator (the bag is a wine bag)


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## MedPretzel (Mar 13, 2005)

That sounds interesting. Where did you get the plastic bag?





Do you have a picture of it?


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## geocorn (Mar 14, 2005)

This is a link to the refrigerator wine box I can sell. If anyone is interested, let me know and I will start stocking them.


http://www.ldcarlson.com/public%20catalog/fermtech/WOT1.jpeg


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## AAASTINKIE (Mar 14, 2005)

they come 3 bags in a package for $10.50 I think, for 1 time use, spout is on them allready. the good part was bag colapses as you use it so no air on wine.


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## Hippie (Mar 14, 2005)

Martina, use hot water to rinse out any bottles with plastic labels, then run more very hot water into them using oven mitts if neccessary. Let the very hot water stand in them for a minute or so, then peel the label off, glue and all, while keeping the very hot water in them, maybe with lid. *Edited by: Country Wine *


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## MedPretzel (Mar 14, 2005)

Thanks Glenvall. I unfortuantely have tried. Maybe it was a patience thang again.


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## Hippie (Mar 14, 2005)

Well it works for me everytime with the clear plastic labels. Maybe your water isn't hot enough? I have done it with several different brands.


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## MedPretzel (Mar 15, 2005)

I am sure it's just a case of "Operator error."


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## Hippie (Mar 16, 2005)

Turn that water heater up! Tightwad.


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## OldWino1 (Dec 18, 2005)

I use bar keepers friend for the first try of cleaning the glue off. then I use lighter fluid as last resort 93 octane gas. I have found that one of these will cut the gunt off. Yes be carefull with the second 2 but I do end up with clean exterior bottles to be refilled by me. The best is once they are mine I use rubber contact cement to put my lables on. They will stay on forever but they will peel right off after i have emptied a bottle. or if a little stubborn bar keepers will work with a small brush and its ready for refilling.


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## masta (Dec 18, 2005)

Please be careful with the flammable solvents!


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## earl (Dec 18, 2005)

So with the bottles I got from George all I have to do is ensure no visible dirt then rinse with sani-brite? or the metabisulfite? or both?


earl


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## bilbo-in-maine (Dec 18, 2005)

Earl - It wouldn't hurt to develop a routine where you get used bottles 
(from whatever source) and soak for several hours or overnight before 
bottling day in your cleansing solution in a primary fermenter or some 
other big tub or bucket or sink. Keep an eye out for anything that might 
need the bottle brush to get it off, then rinse well and hang to dry on your 
bottle tree, assuming you have one now. They are extremely handy, so if 
you don't have one, get one. Just before bottling rinse each bottle with 
the metabisulfite solution (a vinator is very handy for this) and let drip dry 
on the bottle tree as you get the wine and bottling equipment set up. Let 
us know when you plan to bottle.

Bill


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## earl (Dec 18, 2005)

Thanks, I will certainly do that. Hopefully about 1 month from now.


earl


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## Joanie (Aug 16, 2006)

This may be all wrong but is there a reason why you can't use the Vinator with a solution of bleach and water to wash bottles before sanitizing?


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## earl (Aug 16, 2006)

Joan
Be extremely careful with using bleach around wine making equipment. It must be THOROUGHLY rinsed. You can get a stinky corked smell and flavor in your wine if it comes into contact with bleach. A much safer alternative is to use the Potassium Metabisulfite solution in the Vinator. 


Here is my hard learned way of sanitizing bottles. 
I take a visibly clean bottle I then use the Vinator and squirt a solution of Onestep, easy clean, into it. I let it sit while I do this with all my bottles. I then rinse all the bottles with a 10% solution of Kmeta. After this is done I rinse each bottle with boiling water, or at least very hot water that has been boiled. I then hang in my bottle tree, which I sanitized prior to use with Kmeta, to drain, then I bottle the wine with them. It may be a bit of overkill but I don't like the idea of un-measured Kmeta sticking to the bottle.


earl


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## Joanie (Aug 16, 2006)

Thanks Earl. I have always washed with a cap of bleach in a gallon of hot water then rinsed a million and 2 times! There is *no* bleach in or on anything when I get done! =)


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