Now comes the time you have been patiently waiting for, BOTTLING.

Most Vintner’s Reserves and Island Mist wine kits will be clear and ready to bottle after 7 days; whereas, most Selections will need 3-4 weeks to clear and a second racking.

1. Check your wine for clarity by drawing a small sample into a wineglass and examining it in good light. Shining a flashlight through the wine will help you determine if the wine is clear or not. If it is not completely clear, leave the carboy for another 7 days. Do not bottle cloudy wine: it will not clear in the bottle.
2. At this point, you may want to filter your wine to get that “polished and brilliant” look. If you choose to filter, please note that you do not want to filter a cloudy wine. It will only clog up your filter and waste your filter pads. If you have any questions about filtering, please give me a call and we discuss options.
3. Most instructions tell you to fill your bottles by siphoning directly from the carboy. I have found it is easier to bottle the wine using the fast-flow bottle spigot at the base of the fermenting bucket than it is to siphon the wine from a carboy (you can control the flow of wine better and you don't have to worry about losing the siphon). Secondly, you have the privilege of adjusting the wine to suit your taste by adding (in small amounts with stirring) some sugar syrup (some kits have this enclosed) and/or wine conditioner (item #6375) to "swing" the wine to your taste buds. This is what makes winemaking so interesting! You can actually "tailor" your wine according to your preferences; just be sure to make notes as you go along so you can repeat the process for your next batch.
4. Clean and sanitize your primary fermenting bucket.
5. If you will be aging your wine for more than 6 months, you will need to add extra metabisulphite to prevent oxidation. Dissolve 1/4 teaspoon of metabisulphite powder in 1/2-cup cool water and pour it into your fermenting bucket.
6. Remove the airlock and bung and siphon the wine into a sanitized and rinsed fermenting bucket.
7. Attach the tubing to the end of the spigot located at the bottom of the fermenting bucket. On the other end, attach the bottle-filling wand.
8. Fill your clean and sanitized wine bottles with wine from the bucket by putting the bottle-filling wand in the bottle and pushing it to the bottom. When it hits the bottom, the trigger will release the wine into the bottle. When the bottle is almost full, pull the wand off of the bottom and the flow will stop. You want the wine to be 2-1/2 inches from the top. Sometimes, it can be difficult with the wand to fill the bottle as full as you would like. If you experience this, just clean and sanitize a 1-cup or larger liquid measuring cup and fill it with your wine. Use this liquid to top off your bottles to the correct height. Please note that if don’t leave enough airspace in your wine bottle, the cork will not have enough space and will come right out.
9. Cork the bottles using a corker or the tasting corks. The top of the cork should be flush with the top of the bottle, or up to ¼ inch lower.
   NOTE: I normally rinse my corks in a 1.25% sulfite solution prior to use to sanitize the corks and make them easier to insert into the bottle. DO NOT BOIL YOUR CORKS. This will cause most corks to fall apart.
10. Label your wine bottles with the FREE Customized labels provided by Fine Vine Wines, (when you purchase your wine kits from us).
11. Allow your bottles to be stored upright for 3 days after corking.
12. Bottles should then be stored on their sides (laid down) to keep the corks moist.
13. If you wish, you may cover the tops of your bottles with capsules or sealing wax before storage.
14. Wait at least 2 weeks after bottling to start drinking your wine. Wine goes through a phase known as bottle shock due to the introduction of air in the wine. This is normal, but it takes about 2 weeks for all wines to get over this shock.
15. Most wines will improve with age. Please consult your Winexpert product guide for their recommended aging periods.

Now it is up to you to get started making your own wine. If we can be of any further assistance in helping you get started, please send us an email or call 866-417-1114. We are ready to help you in any way we can.