The final step in wine making is bottling your brew. Keeping your bottles clean and dust free is absolutely critical to having great wine.
“Taking care of your wine bottles will really make a difference in the quality and taste of your wine” stated Dan Fellini, owner of Fellini Fine Wines in Keswick. Fellini’s is one of Ontario’s leading ‘Ferment on Premise’ facilities, where you can learn wine making from a wine kit.
Fellini advises that once you are finished drinking a bottle of wine, give it a good rinse with warm water for about two minutes. Make sure any wine residue is completely rinsed out. Then turn the bottle upside down on a dish rack and let it air dry.
Before storing the bottle for the next use, make sure both the inside and outside of the bottles are thoroughly dry and store them neck down to avoid dust build up.
When you are ready to bottle again, “check each bottle carefully for mould before bringing them to the shop,” states Fellini. “And if you notice any, recycle the bottle, don’t take any chances. Wine is a food product and a dirty bottle can spoil a great wine.”
Once you’ve finished bottling your wine, leave the bottles upright for the first three days to allow the cork to enlarge into the neck of the bottle. Then put them on their side out of direct sun or heat. Almost any cool dry place is ideal, but do avoid the kitchen and under the stairs, where the vibrations can ‘bruise’ you wine, say nothing of breaking a bottle.
Making your own wine is the affordable alternative to paying the high prices at commercial outlets. Each batch makes 30 bottles. Drop by Fellini Fine Wines to learn more about bottle care and how to make wine from a kit. For details check their website fellinifinewines.ca or call 905-989-2869.