The final step in craft winemaking is bottling your brew. It’s not necessary to purchase wine bottles for each new batch of wine. In fact, one way to keep your winemaking costs down is recycling your bottles. Keeping your bottles clean and dust free though can make a difference in the quality and taste of your wine.
While your bottles are washed and sterilized by the Wine Butler staff before you bottle, there are a few things you can do when storing your bottles at home.
- 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 the bottle air dry.
- Before storing the bottle for the next use, make sure both the inside and outside of the bottle are thoroughly dry and then store them neck down to avoid dust build up.
- When you are ready to bottle again before bringing them to the shop, check each bottle carefully for mould, 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.
When you have finished bottling your wine, Wine Butler suggests leaving the bottles upright for the first three days to allow the cork to enlarge into the neck of the bottle. This will help air from entering the bottle and oxidizing the wine.
Then place the bottles on their side out of direct sun or heat. Almost any cool dry place is ideal, but avoid the kitchen and under the stairs, where the vibrations can ‘bruise’ you wine, say nothing of breaking a bottle.
The Wine Butler would like to remind all it’s customers, to always drink responsibly.