Sulphiting

Sulphiting

Post by Bryan Caspe » Wed, 07 Jan 1998 04:00:00



Quote:

> This has probably been asked a million times, so here is 1,000,001
> times. When sulphiting bottles, should I rinse them with water or
> leave some of the bisulphite solution in them? (dumping it out of
> course)
> Someone told me you should never use Sparkle Brite to sterilize the
> bottles prior to bottling the wine because it is difficult to get it
> all out, even with rinsing. What is the proper procedure for bottling?

> Jim

This tread is probably going to get awful long. There is no procedure here that is set in
granite. Many bottlers believe it is best to sulfite and then rinse with water and let
dry.  Others believe it is best to sulfite, turn the bottles over to drain and then fill
them with wine before they dry.

It is definitely good sense to wash your bottles soon after use and then drain them up
side down until dry. This restricts all the nasties from a source of solid waste matter
and/or the H20 to begin breeding.

At bottling time, you need to ask yourself if rinsing the bottles out with water after
sulfiting is going to reintroduce any nasties or chlorine into your bottles?. Is the
drying time going to allow airborn nasties into the bottle?  On the other side of the
coin....is leaving an amount of sulfite in the bottle going to increase the levels beyond
what you want?

My procedure is to clean the bottles thoroughly (Even though they are already stored
clean). Then the bottles can be rinsed in half a pint of cold water in which a Campden
tablet and quarter teaspoonful of citric acid has been dissolved. This solution will
adequately sterilize the bottles, pouring it from one into the other,
shaking each bottle as you do so. tip the bottles over and drain. Fill the bottles before
they dry. Seal with corks which have been soaked for 1/2 hour in the same solution. I
don't believe the extra sulfite added by this procedure is of any consequence.

Bryan Casper

 
 
 

Sulphiting

Post by Ji » Thu, 08 Jan 1998 04:00:00


This has probably been asked a million times, so here is 1,000,001
times. When sulphiting bottles, should I rinse them with water or
leave some of the bisulphite solution in them? (dumping it out of
course)
Someone told me you should never use Sparkle Brite to sterilize the
bottles prior to bottling the wine because it is difficult to get it
all out, even with rinsing. What is the proper procedure for bottling?

Jim

 
 
 

Sulphiting

Post by Harry A. Demidavici » Fri, 09 Jan 1998 04:00:00


In several year of wine making, I have lost the odd bottle due to "corking". How do I prepare?
I always rinse my empty bottles in very hot water after they have been used; store [Some upside down
some not -nested in an Evian water carton] until next usage. For next usage I re-rinse again in very
hot water. That's it.  I have 2 and 3 year old wines that are just fine.  However this method is
time consuming and water wasteful, so I am switching to a bottle tree and the squirt-the
pink-stuff-rinse-the-bottle-and-stick-them-on-the-tree-to drip-dry method.  I have also acquired a
bottle/carboy washer that uses 25% of the water that I used to expend and power washes these items
in about 1/4 of the time that I used to spend.
Harry Demidavicius

Quote:


>> This has probably been asked a million times, so here is 1,000,001
>> times. When sulphiting bottles, should I rinse them with water or
>> leave some of the bisulphite solution in them? (dumping it out of
>> course)
>> Someone told me you should never use Sparkle Brite to sterilize the
>> bottles prior to bottling the wine because it is difficult to get it
>> all out, even with rinsing. What is the proper procedure for bottling?

>> Jim

>This tread is probably going to get awful long. There is no procedure here that is set in
>granite. Many bottlers believe it is best to sulfite and then rinse with water and let
>dry.  Others believe it is best to sulfite, turn the bottles over to drain and then fill
>them with wine before they dry.

>It is definitely good sense to wash your bottles soon after use and then drain them up
>side down until dry. This restricts all the nasties from a source of solid waste matter
>and/or the H20 to begin breeding.

>At bottling time, you need to ask yourself if rinsing the bottles out with water after
>sulfiting is going to reintroduce any nasties or chlorine into your bottles?. Is the
>drying time going to allow airborn nasties into the bottle?  On the other side of the
>coin....is leaving an amount of sulfite in the bottle going to increase the levels beyond
>what you want?

>My procedure is to clean the bottles thoroughly (Even though they are already stored
>clean). Then the bottles can be rinsed in half a pint of cold water in which a Campden
>tablet and quarter teaspoonful of citric acid has been dissolved. This solution will
>adequately sterilize the bottles, pouring it from one into the other,
>shaking each bottle as you do so. tip the bottles over and drain. Fill the bottles before
>they dry. Seal with corks which have been soaked for 1/2 hour in the same solution. I
>don't believe the extra sulfite added by this procedure is of any consequence.

>Bryan Casper

 
 
 

Sulphiting

Post by Raj Singh VE6RA » Fri, 09 Jan 1998 04:00:00


Quote:

> > This has probably been asked a million times, so here is 1,000,001
> > times. When sulphiting bottles, should I rinse them with water or
> > leave some of the bisulphite solution in them? (dumping it out of
> > course)
> > Someone told me you should never use Sparkle Brite to sterilize the
> > bottles prior to bottling the wine because it is difficult to get it
> > all out, even with rinsing. What is the proper procedure for bottling?

> > Jim

Jim:

There are probably a million answers also. I rinse my bottles out with hot water after use and put them
in any old box till I need them again. Before bottling, I soak them in a solution of the pink stuff
(sparkle-brite or b-brite) in hot water, and then rinse them with a jet spray attachment that fits the
kitchen tap. I then swish a cup of sulphite solution from bottle to bottle and drain each bottle well
but don't rinse the sulphite out. This process takes about an hour, in which time the corks are soaking
in a sulphite solution. Then I bottle, so there is a bit of sulphite left in the bottles when I fill
them.

Let the bottles stand upright for a week, then put the shrink wraps on and  place in a rack.

Bottling is definitely the most arduous part of the whole process, but the results are worth it. I have
since cut back on the amount I bottle. I usually do 12 or 15 bottles for keepers, the rest I put into a
couple of plastic bladders that kits come in and dispense from casks. The casks are for near future
consumption, the bottles for a couple of years down the road.

The other big problem with bottles is getting the ***y labels off. With beer bottles, you can
eventually soak them off. Some wine manufacturers use three different types of glue on each label it
seems. Soaking them for a week in all sorts of homemade chemical concoctions won't help. You pretty much
have to scrape them off with a paring knife. Anyway, I am wandering....

Raj
Calgary

--
To Reply remove the XXX

 
 
 

Sulphiting

Post by Brian Kuh » Fri, 09 Jan 1998 04:00:00


Just in case it has not been suggested before on this newsgroup, for
several years I have used the dishwasher to clean and sanitize my
bottles. During the wash cycle, I use bleach to disinfect. You
should use the heated dry on the drying cycle too. This is very easy and
I have never had a problem
associated with bottle sanitation. Skip the dishwashing soap too.
Hope this is usefull,
Brian Kuhl

Quote:

> In several year of wine making, I have lost the odd bottle due to "corking". How do I prepare?
> I always rinse my empty bottles in very hot water after they have been used; store [Some upside down
> some not -nested in an Evian water carton] until next usage. For next usage I re-rinse again in very
> hot water. That's it.  I have 2 and 3 year old wines that are just fine.  However this method is
> time consuming and water wasteful, so I am switching to a bottle tree and the squirt-the
> pink-stuff-rinse-the-bottle-and-stick-them-on-the-tree-to drip-dry method.  I have also acquired a
> bottle/carboy washer that uses 25% of the water that I used to expend and power washes these items
> in about 1/4 of the time that I used to spend.
> Harry Demidavicius



> >> This has probably been asked a million times, so here is 1,000,001
> >> times. When sulphiting bottles, should I rinse them with water or
> >> leave some of the bisulphite solution in them? (dumping it out of
> >> course)
> >> Someone told me you should never use Sparkle Brite to sterilize the
> >> bottles prior to bottling the wine because it is difficult to get it
> >> all out, even with rinsing. What is the proper procedure for bottling?

> >> Jim