A QUICK WAY TO SANITIZE WINE BOTTLES

Preparing your wine bottles for bottling can become a large task if not

handled properly. All the bottles, even new ones, need to be sterilized,

drained and cleanly stored until you can actually get the wine into the

bottle. Each five gallon batch requires 25 fifth size bottles, and if your

doing 15 or 20 gallons, then the number of bottles you are dealing with

can start to become a little overwhelming.

We offer a couple of items that take a lot of the hassle out of bottle

preparation, leaving you with more time to enjoy the more fun side of

making wine. We feel these item are to often overlooked, especially

when you consider how much time they can save you.

The first item is called a Sulphatizer. It is a neat little item that sprays

sulfite solution up into your wine bottle. You just push the bottle upside-

down over the Sulphatizer's nozzle and a blast of sulfur solution splatters

up inside the wine bottle. This action causes the sulfur gases in the

solution to release within the bottle, sanitizing the entire inside.

And here's where it gets good. Once you have splattered the sulfite

solution into the wine bottle, keep the bottle upside-down and the gases

will linger inside while the bottle is draining and drying.

This is where the next item comes in - it's called a Bottle Tree. The Bottle

Tree is a column that stands about 4 feet tall and has 90 short pegs that

stick out in all directions and are pointed slightly upwards. You just simply

hang the bottles upside-down over the pegs while they are waiting to be

filled.

The Bottle Tree is also a convenient way for storing your wine bottles

between uses or after washings. It efficiently holds up to 90 bottles in a

very small area. Its wide base also doubles as a water collection tray so

no mess can run out onto the floor.

For more information about the Sulphatizer, go to:

Sulphatizer / Rinser

For more information about the Bottle Tree, go to:

Bottle Tree

To receive our free winemaking newsletter! Click Here

E. C. Kraus

Home Wine & Beer Making Supplies

Address: 733 S. Northern Blvd. - P. O. Box 7850 - Independence, MO  64053

Phone:(816) 254-7448  Fax:(816) 254-7051  Toll Free: (800) 353-1906

Email: customerservice@eckraus.com

Copyright (c) 2003, Kraus Sales, L. L. C. All rights reserved. This article may be passed

along to friends and others, as long as it is used in its entirety. Distribution or publishing of

this article in partial or edited form is prohibited.