Make Your Own Wine > Wine Making & Bottling Tips

Wine Making & Bottling Tips

Bottling Your Wine

• Always rinse your bottles thoroughly once you have emptied them and allow them to dry before storing them.
• Bring your own bottles, or we have refillable 750 litre wine bottles for sale.
• You'll use our professional washing equipment before bottling.
• Corks, bottle labels and shrink tops are provided with each wine kit.
• Store your newly-bottled wine upright for one week, then put the bottles on their side so the corks will remain moist to allow the wine to breathe and age.

Allow Time for Aging

All too often we rush the the process and drink our wines "before their time." Our different wines require different aging. The following are minimum times.

Tips on Wine-Making

Sweetness
All wines can be sweetened to taste following fermentation.

Corks
Synthetic corks are great for long-term storage of 1–3 years.They eliminate problems such as leakage and random oxidation, and are commonly used by commercial wineries. Agglomerated corks, supplied by RJ Spagnols, are suitable for wines for up to 1 year of aging. Check with your retailer for recommendations.

Temperature
A temperature of 12–15° C is ideal for allowing the wine to age steadily without risking premature aging or oxidation. A constant temperature is key to steady aging.

Sulphites
Sulphites help to preserve the wine from spoilage and oxidation. If aging beyond 6 months, add 1/4 tsp of extra sulphites. Sulphite dissipates with age and is important for the long-term health of the wine.

Cellaring - basic factors that effect aging
Cellaring your wine allows all the elements in a wine (fruit, acid, oak and tannins) to integrate and develop a delicate balance, and optimize the wine's aging potential. Cellaring is significantly more important for wine made from kits. Commercial wines are already aged when purchased, and most are ready to drink. Kit wines need to be cellared to develop some of the aged characteristics of commercial wines.

Light
Constant exposure to light produces chemical reactions in wine that cause it to deteriorate. Ultraviolet light has the greatest effect, and white wines and champagnes are the most vulnerable. Try to keep the cellar dark when not in use.

Movement
It is natural for wines (especially high-end heavy reds) to shed some tannin during aging. Vibrations can cause bottle sediment to stay suspended, creating either a haze or “floaties.”

Humidity
A relative humidity of 50–70% is the acceptable range. Insufficient humidity may cause corks to dry out, lose their elasticity and thereby allow air to get into the bottle. Too much humidity (over 70%) can cause mold to grow on corks. At its extreme, this can destroy a wine.

Wiith thanks to RJ Spagnols