Bottling!

[Rocky]

Just wanted to throw this out there. Is there a way to make bottling fun? I have all the best equipment (AIO system, new AIO bottling head, nice area to work, sink nearby for cleaning and sanitizing, etc.) and I still hate bottling. I have a lot of wine to bottle or blend and bottle but I keep avoiding it.

Ready for bottling are 3 carboys of Merlot, 3 carboys of Traminer-Riesling, 1 carboy of Pinot Grigio, 1 carboy of Amarone, 2 carboys of Sonoma, 1 carboy of Petit Shirah, 1 carboy of my Zinfandel-Muscat blend and 1 carboy of Super Tuscan. I also have 12 gallons of Zinfandel that I have to blend with 3 gallons of Muscat.

Don't mind me, I'm old and crotchety and like to complain. Still, if anyone has a way to make this fun, I would appreciate hearing it. Thanks.

 

[ChuckD]

Me and my wife bottle out of a bucket with one of those tubes with the valve on the bottom. I overfill some bottles and have to drain a little out with a straw (a tip I picked up here). Between that and getting the siphons going it gets pretty fun!

 

[ibglowin]

Couple of ideas. Try playing your favorite tunes or if you have a TV or pad close to you try streaming something you have been meaning to watch but have not had the time. Depending on how much you have to actually watch the show to follow along the streaming music may be the easier of the two to do while bottling.

 

[winemaker81]

My son and I bottle together, sampling as we go and generally talking while working. Things go quickly, as it doesn't feel like work.

Sampling means sampling, maybe a total of a glass or two each while bottling. Partial bottles may evaporate after the cleanup is done.

 

[ChuckD]

Sampling means sampling, maybe a total of a glass or two each while bottling. Partial bottles may evaporate after the cleanup is done.

Yep. I forgot the sampling… and that extra cup or two that remain in the bottling bucket. Last time I mixed the leftovers together (beet, grape, and elderberry) to make half a bottle of frankenwine that was pretty good!

When my vineyard starts producing I’ll invite some family and friends and make it an event. It’s gonna cost me some wine… I’ll just have to make extra!

 

[winemanden]

You must keep the bottler lubricated!

 

[winemaker81]

You must keep the bottler lubricated!

Lubricated, but not TOO lubricated .....

 

[Khristyjeff]

You might be a candidate for bagged wine. Someone on here has talked about that.

 

[fwdevoe]

Play your favorite music, have a platter of salami, cheese and crackers and drink wine as you bottle it. Works for me!

 

[Vic Frohmeyer]

I too am trying not to be a crotchety "get off my lawn" old guy. I agree with ibglowin; stream some good tunes while you're filling, and as winemaker81 suggests, work with someone you can talk to. You can solve the world's problems as you bottle! Goes pretty quickly. Doing some prework helps, like having bottles & equipment sanitized and prepped before bottling day. Takes the pressure off the actual filling day.

As a side note, for us filling, corking, and labeling with blue painter's tape and a Sharpee is one day. Final labeling and capsule/neck banding is another day completely, otherwise it does become too much like work (for us).

 

[vacuumpumpman]

Yes I had to go over to a friends house and help bottle some wine. 1st day = 32 cases (384 bottles) all had to be cleaned and sanitized and all carboys were transferred and checked for sulfites. 2nd day additional 20 cases (240 bottles) for a grand total of 52 cases (624 bottles)

Thank Goodness we had 2 of the Allinonewinepumps going

 

[TCPT18]

All goid options. Love when I get 1-2 to help. Makes it much more enjoyable.
Otherwise when alone I challenge myself to fill and cork at the same time. Get a rythmn going and test my limits. 2 bottles before I need to pause and reset? 6? 10? A case...self challenging goofiness.

 

[ChuckD]

When we bottle we save labeling and cellaring for another day as well.

 

[Jusatele]

When we bottle we save labeling and cellaring for another day as well.

I think with cleaning, sanitizing, rinsing, then bottling, and finally cleanup, that a bottling session is a good days work. My labeling and then cellaring normally happens the following day. The wife has finally got on board that the hobby is a multi day affair at any stage so she just gives me the eye.

 

[ratflinger]

Yeah, I quite bottling, except for long-term or special wines. Table wine goes in corny kegs. Using argon for pressure and I've never had an issue with off flavors. 5gal keg usually lasts about 3 weeks here, I usually keep 2 on tap, so the wine might sit in them for 6 weeks. In an emergeny I have used the kegs as bulk storage. Filled and then argon on top.

 

[JBP]

Tunes, tastes and time with friends, for sure. And labeling/finishing definitely another day. I keep colored masking tape on hand (cheap craft supplies), so I don't even have to write on the bottles. Each batch gets a separate color with a small piece of tape on the bottles and a piece in my record book. Sometimes labelling is quite delayed, but everything is identified. I think I have 6 or 8 colors of tape, so that is my limiting factor before labelling (and yes, I have on occasion used two colors per bottle when I ran out of unique colors).

 

[Raptor99]

Table wine goes in corny kegs. Using argon for pressure and I've never had an issue with off flavors.

Interesting. How large is your argon tank, and how much does it cost to refill?

 

[Shurt1073]

I'm still sorta new at wine making or at least doing it right so this is all so much fun for me. AIO wine pump has made it stress free for me compared to the siphon I was using.

There is a lady in Arizona who hated gardening so she started gardening topless ... The Naked Gardener on YouTube. Not sure you want to bottle naked Rocky to change it up.

 

[vinny]

5gal keg usually lasts about 3 weeks here

I just knew we would get along!

I mentioned in another post that I drink a glass of wine or so a week, but there are a lot of other bottles in the cabinet....

 

[vinny]

I'm still sorta new at wine making or at least doing it right so this is all so much fun for me. AIO wine pump has made it stress free for me compared to the siphon I was using.

There is a lady in Arizona who hated gardening so she started gardening topless ... The Naked Gardener on YouTube. Not sure you want to bottle naked Rocky to change it up.

I have a few projects on the go, plenty of wine in the rack, and I am trying to let my reds mature, but I keep thinking I should have a bottle day. I find it calming and relaxing. It's systematic. Mindless. I guess I have also posted that I find it strange that I don't hate cleaning carboys. I should, everything about it is unpleasant, but it is part of the bigger plan and I just do it without prejudice.

Tried the naked gardening thing. Catches a fella off guard when you live in the woods and have a gate, but your trails are connected to your neighbour's and they come walking up on the dark side of the moon...

The mental images are complimentary!