Fermentations: Winemaking - Step 5!!

Before we get started with the step we’ve all been waiting for… I want to talk a little about my wine report card!! [this is what I called it anyways!! Haha] It is actually a wine log card, and we attached it to the glass carboy where my wine lived. It had my name and phone number, and we documented changes we made to the wine, along with any other pertinent information. This includes the ABV, which means alcohol by volume. We figured this out by doing some simple math [for you nerds, I’ll give you the steps to do this at the end.] The calculated ABV for Wixy’s Wine was 17.29% That falls right into the average range for desert wine!!

Step Five: Bottling!!!! For this final step of my summer long wine making adventure, they told me to allow 90 minutes. In this step we will fill, cork and label my wine, and then I’ll be taking it home with me!! First we opened a case of empty bottles, plus a few extra. Remember, I am bottling my dessert wine [that I’ve named “Wixy’s Wine”] into 15 regular wine bottles instead of the 30 half sized bottles that ports are usually sold in. We washed the bottles by placing them upside down a machine that spayed water up inside of them, and then we hung them on a bottle tree [Pictured below] so they could dry out completely.

It was a mystery to me how we were going to transfer my beautifully colored red wine from the large glass carboy into the much smaller opening of a wine bottle. Turns out I worried for nothing… They had this really cool machine that the empty bottle sits in, then we took a hose that was hooked to a motor and placed the end into the glass carboy. The motor pulled the wine from the glass carboy and spilled it into the bottle. It even had a sensor that caused it to automatically stop the wine flow when the bottle was full!! I have an awesome video [that unfortunately I do not know how to add!! HA!!]

Since I couldn’t decide, you can see from the bottle tree [pictured above] that I chose a mixture of clear and green for my wine bottles. After the fact I kind of wish I would have gone with all clear bottles since you could see the ruby color better, and I thought it was just prettier with my label. Now I know for next time!! Soooo... a little wine for the bottle.. a little wine for me!! LOL!! Cause you know I had to sample the final product to make sure it was palatable before I shared it with my wine friends!! Once my wine carboy is empty and we've filled all the bottles, [turned out to be 15 regular sized bottles, plus one half/demi bottle] we move on to the corking stage!!

Corking was a lot easier than I thought with the use of another really cool machine. [pictured above] I can’t begin to imagine trying to make wine at home without the convenience of all of these “really cool machines!!” Haha!! It’s called a floor corking machine, and they are made in Portugal. The bottle platform is spring loaded, so it can be used for any size bottle. We put my bottle in place [causing the platform to lock] then we drop the cork into the "jaws" [or opening] of the red metal square at the top of my bottle. Thanks to the leverage provided by the mechanisms and how they all work together, I just need to pull on the lever [similar to a slot machine.. LOL] and WALLAH… my bottle is corked!!

Thankfully there is yet one more really cool machine that helps me put my labels squarely on each bottle!! We just placed the bottle on it's side in the machine, and press the button. We put my pre-printed labels into the appropriate slot and the machine rotated the bottle, simultaneously adding the label!! They looked so professional!! [see picture below] The last thing we did, to complete the bottling process was to add the plastic capsule over the cork. This was done with a heat gun to "melt" it in place. This ensures a tight seal, and protects the cork from moisture and contamination. I picked the mauve colored seal because I liked the way it brought out the color of my wine!! Hehehe

The cork itself had "Fermentations" etched on it, and this is probably my favorite cork ever!! I have saved every one so I could use them for multiple wine cork crafts!! I most definitely had to share the first bottle with my girl, Jessica Henry!! [pictured below.. at the campers!! IYKYK] She participated in, and was the inspiration behind the making of Wixy's Wine bottle label!! Speaking of labels, did you know that the FAA [Federal Alcohol Administration] makes it mandatory to place the ABV on a wine label, IF it contains greater than 14% ABV!? I did not, I didn't even know there was an FAA for wine!! LOL

Now for you geeks, nerds, and other weirdos [like me.. haha] out there... here are the steps to figuring out the ABV we talked about!! [P.S. It is already calculated and printed on most bottle labels.] Step 1: Determine the volume of alcohol in the drink. Step 2: Determine the total volume of the drink. Step 3: Divide the volume of alcohol by the total volume of the drink. Step 4: Multiply the result by 100 to get the ABV percentage. Note: I am just regurgitating the information, don't call me for any real help!! LOL 

Next week Wine with Wixy will be taking a quick weekend trip to the Seattle area!! Checking to see if this could possibly be a future summer destination for us!! You know I had to visit at-least one winery while we were in the PNW!! [Plus, that was really all we had time for... haha!!] Be there or be square!!

Cheers to you my wine loving friends, and TTFN!!