# First one in the bottle!



## bovinewines (Oct 21, 2007)

Well...I got through filtering and bottling this evening. Lots learned along the way. Eventually I'll get all this stuff stream lined. 




Thought I'd share a few pics. Labels are currently being designed so those will go on later. 


Here's the prep of the bottles....and the winemaker's assistant!









Sanitizing








Bottling


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## Coaster (Oct 21, 2007)

Nice work, I like the blue bottles.
Just wanted to mention that you can fill bottles right from the spigot off that fermentation bucket. Towards the end, a second set of hands is really helpful but I've done it solo that way a few times myself (eventually, pouring it in with a small funnel at the very end).






I've never used a filling wand (I think that is what you have) so not sure if one way is better than another



.


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## bovinewines (Oct 21, 2007)

This was the first time I've ever bottled and I have to say, I actually like the wand....I feel like I have more control on filling the bottle to just the right height every time.


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## Wade E (Oct 21, 2007)

Use the spigot with the wand and lose the racking cane and you wont have to siphon. Its much easier and 1 less thing to clean. Love the Cobalt bottles.


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## bovinewines (Oct 21, 2007)

Our struggle was that the tube size for the spigot was different from what I needed with the wand.
Unless there are "adapters" I'm thinking a trip to home depot may be in order to build some adapters to move from one size tubing to another....


I'm still builing up my reserve of wine bottles which is why I "splurged" for the cobolt. Thought that would be appropriate for a Riesling anyway....


If I had only know 10 years ago I'd being doing this now I would have had a very nice bottle collection!


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## Dean (Oct 21, 2007)

LOVE the blue hock bottles! Very chic! Is this a Riesling?

Edit: just saw it's a Riesling....great choice!*Edited by: Dean *


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## Dean (Oct 21, 2007)

ps: My "assistants" are just as bad. They always want to be around where they are not supposed to be! Cats!


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## Waldo (Oct 22, 2007)

Thanks for sharing your experience with us Bovine. Great job on the bottling. One recommendation I would strongly recommend is to to get you a Vinator. They make bottle cleaning and sanitgizing a breeze.
http://www.finevinewines.com/ProdDetA.asp?PartNumber=4818


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## rgecaprock (Oct 22, 2007)

Bovine,


Your blue bottles are beautiful. I might just use them for my Christmas Riesling my self. Your cat is beautiful, the coloring....
what kind is it . Take a picture of his face. Nice Job bottling. Do you have a label?? 
Ramona


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## bovinewines (Oct 22, 2007)

Thanks Dean...I thought the blue would be nice.


Once I get my labels done I'll post an "official" picture.


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## bovinewines (Oct 22, 2007)

Thanks Romona...yeah..I would recommend the bottles for your Christmas Riesling...I think you'd have a lot of folks "doubly" happy!






I have the labels designed...I have to order the particular labels I'm going to use. Hopefully I can post those in the next couple of weeks.


The "cellar rat" helping me is my blue-eyed chocolate boy, Tawney (yes...as in Port!).


He's actually a rescue...but he's all siamese...all 16lbs of him! 





*Edited by: bovinewines *


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## dfwwino (Oct 22, 2007)

I looked at your cat and could not help but chuckle. Is anyone a fan of The Office. It made me think of Dwight's idea of euthanizing his girlfriend's cat by placing the cat in the freezer. Angela, the GF, discovered his duplicity when she saw claw marks all over her bag of frozen tofu.



OK. So I have a sick sense of humor. And I'm not suggesting your cat is anything but lovely. But the Office is just off the wall.


My wife is out of town tonight and she warned me that she better not find her dogs in the freezer. 



*Edited by: dfwwino *


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## bovinewines (Oct 22, 2007)

No worries DFW....I too have that "sick and twisted" sense of humor myself...



I haven't seen The Office...but what I know if it...I would probably love it.


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## PeterZ (Oct 23, 2007)

Bovinewines, I think you have the right setup for bottling. I, too, bottle in the kitchen, but it never occured to me to bottle on top of a primary or other bucket. I had been putting the bottles on the floor, and by the end of a bottling session my thighs were killing me. Since I am building a nice collection of MM All Juice buckets, that will be my new bottling station.


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## bovinewines (Oct 23, 2007)

Wish I could take all the credit for that...but in fact a friend of mine (who happens to be an engineer) came up with the idea. It was the perfect hight for me...I could easily see the level in the bottle and adjust as necessary...


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## Wade E (Oct 23, 2007)

Beautiful cat Bovine. We to have a 16lb cat named Chub. He doesnt know that he is this big when he jumps off the dresser onto us in the bed.


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## PolishWineP (Oct 23, 2007)

bovinewines said:


> Wish I could take all the credit for that...but in fact a friend of mine (who happens to be an engineer) came up with the idea. It was the perfect hight for me...I could easily see the level in the bottle and adjust as necessary...


We put a chair on the table and the carboy on the chair. Lots of lifting. Another option for your counter would be 2 chairs. 1 for you to sit upon and another for the bottle. No standing!


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## bovinewines (Oct 23, 2007)

Thanks Wade..yeah..the big ones always thing they're tiny!


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## JWMINNESOTA (Oct 23, 2007)

Congrats on the first one in the bottle...now your hooked for life!


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## bovinewines (Oct 23, 2007)

Thanks JW...and yeah...you're right...I am hooked.
Ah well...as I like to say...it's a small price to pay to keep me off the streets!


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## rgecaprock (Oct 23, 2007)

Bovine,


That looks like a comfortable bottling position. I really have to plan my bottling due to my problem back or I pay for it the next day.


I put all the bottles on the tree on the floor. Use a 13x9 pyrex baking dish to put the bottles in to catch any mess which I always make. Then I get a comfy spot on the floor sittingIndian style and fill all bottlles while sitting on the floor. I line up the filled bottles ready for corking.


I'll have to work on the corking. That half bend is murder on the sciatica so that job I think will be delegated to Curtis. Unless anyone has an idea for sitting and Portuguese corking.


Then I throw a shrink on each bottle and dunk in the semi boiling water which is a fast process now that I have it down.


Then I take a slightly soapy cloth and wipe down all the bottles and then dry them like doing dishes. Until they are sparkling like the wine.


They are ready for the labels next. That is pretty smooth expecially using the glue stick and scissor method although cutting them out can be tedious.


The actual label paper some times gets creases if I'm not fast enough and smooth enough to get it on straight and nice. At least the glue stick gives you some wiggle room. Do you all find that to be true!!!?


Any suggestions for smooth, single person bottling will be interestingbecause someone always thinks of something no one else has.


Ramona


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## laneygirl (Oct 23, 2007)

Romana, Can you explain more about the shrink wrap and dunk into boiling water? I have been using a heat gun with inconsistent results and would guess the water would be more so. Could you paste a picture of it? Are there accessories that assist you in keeping shrink wrap on while dunking?


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## rgecaprock (Oct 24, 2007)

First of all, laneygirl, Welcome to the forum.


Here is a link to show you how to use boiling water to shrink your caps. It might take a minute to load but it is a good demonstration. There is a tool for holding the shrink cap in place while dipping it in the water but you could probably use anything such as my deveiner or a fork...I think smurfe uses a fork. Anyway...here is the link that will help you....Ramona


http://www.finevinewines.com/wiz/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=1112


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## bovinewines (Oct 24, 2007)

Dang Waldo...my "wish list" keeps growing!


Guess I'm going to have to include George's website in all my christmas cards so folks know what to get me for christmas!


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## bovinewines (Oct 24, 2007)

Thanks for posting this Romona....I wondered how it was done...


I can't remember who said it, but one of the senior staff on this forum made the comment that only the "special" people get the foil....I'm thinking I'm going to adopt that myself!


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## laneygirl (Oct 28, 2007)

Hi Romana, Thanks for the welcome and the reply. I also talked to George and he explained to me how to use a tea kettle with a long knife to hold shrink wrap in place. I got to try this technique yesterday on some port that I had bottled/corked last week and was waiting to shrink wrap and put down in wine rack. 


The technique worked really well and was faster, easier and gave a much better finished look than I had ever been able to achieve with heat gun. I guess I'll relegate the heat fun to my shop tools and shift permanently to this new technique.


Thanks, again. This forum is a really good one with nice members with helpful advice.


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