The Counter Pressure Bottle Filler...A Bloody Mess Ensues...



Excitement!



The result.. I did manage to get some
into bottles!

Yes, finally the time had come when my counter pressure bottle filler came in, how exciting! This excitement lasted until I actually used it for the first time.. All i can say is wow... No, no, not wow but (expletive deleted.) I was not prepared for what ensued; a Bloody Mess of which I will never forget.

The Backstory

I kegged and carbonated a black raspberry 

wine to 55 psi to get the effect of a sparkling wine. It was recommended to me I set the psi to 20 when I go and bottle. I realized that 10-20 psi is also acceptable. I thought I had read the instructions but the first bottle I did- I filled the bottle,  opened the relief valve to release excess CO2, removed the filler from the bottle and- pop, splash,  fizz followed by eruption! I was COVERED in delicious black raspberry wine; as was the surrounding area including the ceiling! I was also surprised how hard it was to hold down the bottle filler as not to allow gas to escape which makes the wine inside the bottle instantly fizzy.



A mess...

Practice Makes Perfect

But Now?  After a little practice I got it down! Just last night I bottled sparkling pear and I could've done it in a brand new $500 three-piece suit because I did not lose a drop!

Here is how I do it.. now...
1. Sanitize everything
2. Chill the keg to around 40F or lower

3. Release excess gas from the keg and connect all the necessary tubing.

4. Set regulator to 15 psi or so

5. Place bottle filler in bottle and firmly hold it down

Ahhh,
Way better 

6. Allow CO2 to flow into the bottle, and open relief valve to push out the O2.

7. Turn lever over to the wine side and allow wine to flow into the bottle. Flow may be slow, so unscrew relief valve a bit more to allow wine to flow a bit faster.

8. Once the bottle is full and some wine comes out of the relief valve,  stop flow, unscrew relief valve until the pressure gauge on the filler reaches zero, remove filler and cap it. Voila!

I will add to this as I discover little tips and tricks to get the most out of the filler.

Note: maybe keg and sparkle some water to practice on before show time with a wine you care about.



Why I Finally Got a Water Filter

Why I Finally Got a Water Filter for the Winery

      Hey folks,  
Every year I try to upgrade the home-winery; whether it be a new press, water-less bungs or a stainless steel sink.  Earlier this year I had some extra money and I was trying to decide what a good upgrade would be for the homer operation, and then it dawned on me.. A Water Filter!

      As winemakers, we are always doing things to prevent bad things from happening to our wine- sulfites in case of oxidation ( among other things), sanitation in case of spoilage; the list goes on and on. In this case, I wanted a filter to give my water a better taste and remove chlorine and organic flavor from the water, making it safer for the following applications:

      -Fruit Wines- Yes, i use water with my fruit wines. Unlike grapes, fruits just don't provide a lot of juice. So I use a little indeed. For example 4 lbs of black raspberries per 7 pints of water. I feel flavor will be improved with filtered water.

      -Yeast Starters- Yeast (the sensitive ones) can be inhibited by chlorine in the water.  Though I have never experienced this myself ( I mean come on, nothing will stop EC-1118 or K1-V1116!) But as I've stated above, us winemakers have to take preventative measures to ensure a great product.

      -Wine Kits- I don't typically make wine kits, for those of you who do, the kit will need diluted with water, and tap water could give the wine a poor flavor profile of chlorine and inhibit a complete fermentation.

      -Stirring in Additives-  I use anything from yeast nutrient, sulfites, opti-red, tannin, to sparkolloid and pectic enzyme. All of these additives need stirred in to some water (or wine) before adding to the main batch. What better medium to stir it up in than clean filtered water?!

      - Hey, I Make Beer too- That's right folks, sometimes I make beer! And beer is all about the water. Many different styles of beer are made around the world and historically they were made based on the water profile of the brewery in that particular town, not because they wanted to brew pilsner or stouts. But today, any water profile can be obtained. All I'm trying to do is make a yummy IPA and start with a good base- clean, filtered, good tasting water.

The Filter
       The filter i chose is from morewinemaking.com (item#fil32.) In this kit you receive the filter canister, carbon block filter cartridge, vinyl tubing with a garden hose fitting and the proper barbed fittings to attach the tubing to the filter. They recommend replacing it yearly or after 800 gallons of water has passed through it-which ever comes first. I also purchased the mount to be able to fit it to the wall above my sink and I also got an extra O-ring in case this one fails and I'm in a pinch.

   As I use the filter, I will report back with its performance and any quirks that come with using the unit. I hope this will inspire you to get your own water filter for your homer-operation, because you know...Any thing can happen...