Bottling wine

[bigred]

I've just started my first 30 bottle batch of red wine. I've gone with a Beaverdale kit to play safe. I only have the one fermenting vessel at the moment and don't expect the batch to last longer than 2 months. I was thinking of originally transferring into 2-3 ltr pop bottles and storing in the cellar, then transferring into those flip top glass bottles when ready to drink. Is this a sensible approach? The kit comes with stabiliser and finings, do I also need camden tablets?

 

[shadow47]

Sounds fine to me, can't see it doing the wine any harm.

Don't add any campden tablets though, the stabilising powder in the Beaverdale kits already contains sodium metabisulphite, which is what campden tablets are made from.

 

[abeyptfc]

i suppose you could do if your going to be drinking the wine in 2 litre batches at a time, i had been advised to leave my wine (california connoisseur) in the bottles for at least 2 months before drinking for it to age a little bit but i suppose you could drink before then if you want! if i was you i would just transfer straight into the swing top bottles, not much point in putting it into 2 litre bottles, then swing top bottles.

 

[bigred]

^ sorry, I meant 2 months after it is ready, which would have a 1-2 month maturing period before drinking, I was really trying to indicate that the wine would probably be all consumed within 6 months, not laid down for years.

The 3 ltr pop bottles are easier to store than the swing tops and a lot less expensive. I was only thinking of having around 6 swing tops.

 

[shadow47]

Just sterilise them well and shouldn't have a problem.

In the early days I used to use 2 litre PETs, and sometimes I'd just leave the wine in the demi and syphon it off as I was drinking it (the disco days hahaha).

I'm a bit more upmarket nowdays, sometimes I even leave the wine to age for a few weeks(days )