I'm wondering if anyone has built a simple rack for holding the bottle
securely while it is being filled, or what systems this group might
suggest to make the process a little easier. I generally find myself
alone in the basement when bottling...my wife isn't terribly
interested in the hobby and my kids are too young to assist. I have
an automatic bottle filler which works great, but I generally find
myself wishing I had an extra hand or two to hold the bottles steady.
Any quick ideas, gimmicks, tools or thoughts on this subject???

Paul

On 3/30/04 11:06 AM, in article
, "Paul" >
wrote:

> I'm wondering if anyone has built a simple rack for holding the bottle
> securely while it is being filled, or what systems this group might
> suggest to make the process a little easier. I generally find myself
> alone in the basement when bottling...my wife isn't terribly
> interested in the hobby and my kids are too young to assist. I have
> an automatic bottle filler which works great, but I generally find
> myself wishing I had an extra hand or two to hold the bottles steady.
> Any quick ideas, gimmicks, tools or thoughts on this subject???
>
> Paul


Hmm --- I'm not that organized. I use a wine box.

--
Greg Cook
http://homepage.mac.com/gregcook/Wine

(remove spamblocker from my email)

Greg , kinda off topic , well really off topic .
What do you think of the fireworks guys that keep coming to Fargo ?
Greg



>
>
> Hmm --- I'm not that organized. I use a wine box.
>
> --
> Greg Cook
> http://homepage.mac.com/gregcook/Wine
>
> (remove spamblocker from my email)
>

I use milk crate, it can hold 16 bordeaux style bottles. It is very
convenient and cheap. Also all my carboy are in a milk crate. They
have solid grip to move them.


Séb

seb wrote:

> I use milk crate, it can hold 16 bordeaux style bottles. It is very
> convenient and cheap. Also all my carboy are in a milk crate. They
> have solid grip to move them.

Count me as a fan of the milk crate approach as well. Good things, those
crates are.

--
charles

"Once ... in the wilds of Afghanistan, I lost my corkscrew, and we were
forced to live on nothing but food and water for days."
- W.C. Fields

On 3/30/04 12:10 PM, in article , "greg boyd"
> wrote:

> Greg , kinda off topic , well really off topic .
> What do you think of the fireworks guys that keep coming to Fargo ?
> Greg
>
>
>
>>
>>
>> Hmm --- I'm not that organized. I use a wine box.
>>
>> --
>> Greg Cook
>> http://homepage.mac.com/gregcook/Wine
>>
>> (remove spamblocker from my email)
>>
>
>


Hmm, yes, that is pretty far off topic. To answer your question -- it's
fantastic. Nowhere else can you see that many fireworks in one place. I'm
glad they keep holding their convention here. It is really amazing. Are you
into pyrotechnics, or just happen to live near Fargo? If you are ever
around, stop by and we can taste a little wine.

For those that don't know what we are talking about, the Pyrotechnics Guild
International holds their annual convention in Fargo about every other year.
It is a week long fireworks display that is just terrific. I see they will
be back this August, and again in 2007, 2009, and 2011. With our wide open
skies, the fireworks really shine.

More info here . . . http://www.pgi.org/PGIconvsites.htm
--
Greg Cook
http://homepage.mac.com/gregcook/Wine

(remove spamblocker from my email)

I might be streching things a bit far but I put put the bottles in a clean
large white plastic tray.
I only have a wand tosiphon so I always manage to spill some wine. When I
am finished I toss the wine that was spilled to the tray into my vinegar
batch.

Joe

"Paul" > wrote in message
om...
> I'm wondering if anyone has built a simple rack for holding the bottle
> securely while it is being filled, or what systems this group might
> suggest to make the process a little easier. I generally find myself
> alone in the basement when bottling...my wife isn't terribly
> interested in the hobby and my kids are too young to assist. I have
> an automatic bottle filler which works great, but I generally find
> myself wishing I had an extra hand or two to hold the bottles steady.
> Any quick ideas, gimmicks, tools or thoughts on this subject???
>
> Paul

On 03/30/2004 12:06 PM, Paul said:
> I'm wondering if anyone has built a simple rack for holding the bottle
> securely while it is being filled, or what systems this group might
> suggest to make the process a little easier. I generally find myself
> alone in the basement when bottling...my wife isn't terribly
> interested in the hobby and my kids are too young to assist. I have
> an automatic bottle filler which works great, but I generally find
> myself wishing I had an extra hand or two to hold the bottles steady.
> Any quick ideas, gimmicks, tools or thoughts on this subject???


I'll start off by saying this may not be the best advice...

I too struggle with the bottling phase sometimes. Recently I had 4
separate 1 gallon batches of the same wine ready for bottling, so I
racked them into a bottling bucket, and bottled from that. It was
a lot easier than siphoning 4 separate jugs into bottles, and it was
also easy to mix in the sulfites before bottling.

If you don't know, a bottling bucket is commonly used by beer
makers. It's basically a 5 gallon plastic bucket with a spigot on
the bottom. I say this may not be the best advice because it
could expose your wine to more oxygen than other methods.


--
Joe
http://www.joekaz.net/
http://www.cafeshops.com/joekaz

Hi Paul

A plastic milk crate will hold ~ 16 bordeaux or 14-15 burgundy style
bottles. You can fill all of the bottles while they are held securely
in the crate. Return them to the crate after corking you can spritz all
of the bottles with a hose and let them stand upright for a couple of
days before laying them down for storage.

Frank

Paul wrote:
> I'm wondering if anyone has built a simple rack for holding the bottle
> securely while it is being filled, or what systems this group might
> suggest to make the process a little easier. I generally find myself
> alone in the basement when bottling...my wife isn't terribly
> interested in the hobby and my kids are too young to assist. I have
> an automatic bottle filler which works great, but I generally find
> myself wishing I had an extra hand or two to hold the bottles steady.
> Any quick ideas, gimmicks, tools or thoughts on this subject???
>
> Paul

Maybe it is just me and my bad eyes but I have tried methods of filling
bottles where several bottles are held together but I have trouble seeing
when the bottle is full and it increases overflow. I do them one at a time
with a wand and have a light set on the floor behind them so I can see when
those dark green bottles are filling.

Ray

"Paul" > wrote in message
om...
> I'm wondering if anyone has built a simple rack for holding the bottle
> securely while it is being filled, or what systems this group might
> suggest to make the process a little easier. I generally find myself
> alone in the basement when bottling...my wife isn't terribly
> interested in the hobby and my kids are too young to assist. I have
> an automatic bottle filler which works great, but I generally find
> myself wishing I had an extra hand or two to hold the bottles steady.
> Any quick ideas, gimmicks, tools or thoughts on this subject???
>
> Paul

"Ray" > wrote in message . com>...
> Maybe it is just me and my bad eyes but I have tried methods of filling
> bottles where several bottles are held together but I have trouble seeing
> when the bottle is full and it increases overflow. I do them one at a time
> with a wand and have a light set on the floor behind them so I can see when
> those dark green bottles are filling.

I use a Buon Vino Automatic bottle filler so i don't have this
problem. But, with a regular manual filler i understand what you
mean!

Séb

(seb) wrote in message . com>...
> "Ray" > wrote in message . com>...
> > Maybe it is just me and my bad eyes but I have tried methods of filling
> > bottles where several bottles are held together but I have trouble seeing
> > when the bottle is full and it increases overflow. I do them one at a time
> > with a wand and have a light set on the floor behind them so I can see when
> > those dark green bottles are filling.
>
> I use a Buon Vino Automatic bottle filler so i don't have this
> problem. But, with a regular manual filler i understand what you
> mean!
>
> Séb

Primarily a beer brewer who is about to bottle my first batch of wine,
I can pass on this bottling hint:

Using a bottling bucket or not, I plan to bottle on the open door of
my dishwasher. The white background gives a bright background to see
when the bottle is filled, and whatever is spilled is dumped into the
dishwasher by closing the door.

I have bottled 30+ batches of beer this way and cannot imagine doing
it differently with my first baatch of wine. Skipping the bottling
bucket will be a challenge, though.

Rob

"Rob Pyle" > wrote in message
m...
[snipped]

> Primarily a beer brewer who is about to bottle my first batch of wine,
> I can pass on this bottling hint:
>
> Using a bottling bucket or not, I plan to bottle on the open door of
> my dishwasher. The white background gives a bright background to see
> when the bottle is filled, and whatever is spilled is dumped into the
> dishwasher by closing the door.
>
> I have bottled 30+ batches of beer this way and cannot imagine doing
> it differently with my first baatch of wine. Skipping the bottling
> bucket will be a challenge, though.
>
> Rob

Rob,

I have used the door of the dishwasher as a base for the bottles as well.
It works great, but I've found that I'm quicker working on the floor. I
just spread a towel to catch the inevitable overflow and spillage. :-)
But there's no need to avoid the bottling bucket! I always rack into a
bottling bucket before bottling, it makes the addition and mixing in of
metabisulfite easy, and gives me one last go at degassing before bottling.


--
Cheers,
Ken

(seb) wrote in message . com>...
> "Ray" > wrote in message . com>...
> > Maybe it is just me and my bad eyes but I have tried methods of filling
> > bottles where several bottles are held together but I have trouble seeing
> > when the bottle is full and it increases overflow. I do them one at a time
> > with a wand and have a light set on the floor behind them so I can see when
> > those dark green bottles are filling.
>
> I use a Buon Vino Automatic bottle filler so i don't have this
> problem. But, with a regular manual filler i understand what you
> mean!
>
> Séb

Primarily a beer brewer who is about to bottle my first batch of wine,
I can pass on this bottling hint:

Using a bottling bucket or not, I plan to bottle on the open door of
my dishwasher. The white background gives a bright background to see
when the bottle is filled, and whatever is spilled is dumped into the
dishwasher by closing the door.

I have bottled 30+ batches of beer this way and cannot imagine doing
it differently with my first baatch of wine. Skipping the bottling
bucket will be a challenge, though.

Rob

(seb) wrote in message . com>...
> "Ray" > wrote in message . com>...
> > Maybe it is just me and my bad eyes but I have tried methods of filling
> > bottles where several bottles are held together but I have trouble seeing
> > when the bottle is full and it increases overflow. I do them one at a time
> > with a wand and have a light set on the floor behind them so I can see when
> > those dark green bottles are filling.
>
> I use a Buon Vino Automatic bottle filler so i don't have this
> problem. But, with a regular manual filler i understand what you
> mean!
>
> Séb


I want to thank everyone who took the time to offer ideas and
suggestions. They were all very worthy, and I really appreciate your
valuable insight and experience.

Paul

> "Paul" > wrote in message
> I generally find
> > myself wishing I had an extra hand or two to hold the bottles steady.
> > Any quick ideas, gimmicks, tools or thoughts on this subject???
> >
> > Paul

I don't hold them. I have a molded foam shipper that holds six bottles. I
just us the bottom part and set the bottles into it and fill. (actually, my
wife fills and I cork). The same idea you can use a milk crate or anything
that holds the bottles in place. Cut down a cardboard case far enough so
that you can see the liquid level.
Ed

http://pages.cthome.net/edhome

I have a wine box, slip the clear empties into the 12 slots, and fill away.
Works like a charm.


"Paul" > wrote in message
om...
> I'm wondering if anyone has built a simple rack for holding the bottle
> securely while it is being filled, or what systems this group might
> suggest to make the process a little easier. I generally find myself
> alone in the basement when bottling...my wife isn't terribly
> interested in the hobby and my kids are too young to assist. I have
> an automatic bottle filler which works great, but I generally find
> myself wishing I had an extra hand or two to hold the bottles steady.
> Any quick ideas, gimmicks, tools or thoughts on this subject???
>
> Paul

This wine box, looks like a good idea.

How to you fill the bottle. One at a time or with a gang filler meaning 12
at a time.
Do you have an automatic shut up device that prevent the wine from spilling
in to the box or on the floor?

At this time, I still place the empties (30 bottles) on the concrete floor
in gang of six and fill them one by one with a very basic dripping plastic
filler. As one bottle is been filled I move the full one close to the
cocker. Once the cock is inserted into the bottle I move it on to the old
Formica kitchen table close to the plastic tub. When the bottling is
completed. I mop the concrete floor and clean the cocker. Then, I clean the
outside of the filled bottles of white. After that I begin to affix the
dated labels on the bottles. The wine bottles are left on the table to rest
for 2-3 days
Once the resting is done. I may want to shrink some seals on the bottles
prior to storage.
The things that I need to improve are”
1) filling without spilling.
2) handling
3) keeping a record of the storage
4) dating the labels

I would appreciate comments so I can better my bottling procedures.


..
"Matthew Givens" > wrote in message
ink.net...
> I have a wine box, slip the clear empties into the 12 slots, and fill
away.
> Works like a charm.
>
>
> "Paul" > wrote in message
> om...
> > I'm wondering if anyone has built a simple rack for holding the bottle
> > securely while it is being filled, or what systems this group might
> > suggest to make the process a little easier. I generally find myself
> > alone in the basement when bottling...my wife isn't terribly
> > interested in the hobby and my kids are too young to assist. I have
> > an automatic bottle filler which works great, but I generally find
> > myself wishing I had an extra hand or two to hold the bottles steady.
> > Any quick ideas, gimmicks, tools or thoughts on this subject???
> >
> > Paul
>
>

Well, I use a single bottling wand to fill the bottles, and I just pay close
attention while bottling.

I have two wine boxes, place 24 bottles in the slots, and fill with the
bottling wand via ordinary gravity feed. Although a little does overflow
each time, this is caught by the cardboard box, and backed up by the towel I
have on the floor. As I do my bottling inside, in a spare room, I don't
have the option of just cleaning the concrete floor. Carpet doesn't clean
that easily.

When all bottles are filled, I cork them with my floor corker (now that I
have one, I don't know how I ever managed with just a hand corker). I let
them sit upright for 2-3 days, then clean them and affix labels and foil
caps. I keep track of the wine and its current status via a program that I
wrote myself.


"Denis Marier" > wrote in message
...
> This wine box, looks like a good idea.
>
> How to you fill the bottle. One at a time or with a gang filler meaning 12
> at a time.
> Do you have an automatic shut up device that prevent the wine from
spilling
> in to the box or on the floor?
>
> At this time, I still place the empties (30 bottles) on the concrete floor
> in gang of six and fill them one by one with a very basic dripping plastic
> filler. As one bottle is been filled I move the full one close to the
> cocker. Once the cock is inserted into the bottle I move it on to the old
> Formica kitchen table close to the plastic tub. When the bottling is
> completed. I mop the concrete floor and clean the cocker. Then, I clean
the
> outside of the filled bottles of white. After that I begin to affix the
> dated labels on the bottles. The wine bottles are left on the table to
rest
> for 2-3 days
> Once the resting is done. I may want to shrink some seals on the bottles
> prior to storage.
> The things that I need to improve are"
> 1) filling without spilling.
> 2) handling
> 3) keeping a record of the storage
> 4) dating the labels
>
> I would appreciate comments so I can better my bottling procedures.
>
>
> .
> "Matthew Givens" > wrote in message
> ink.net...
> > I have a wine box, slip the clear empties into the 12 slots, and fill
> away.
> > Works like a charm.
> >
> >
> > "Paul" > wrote in message
> > om...
> > > I'm wondering if anyone has built a simple rack for holding the bottle
> > > securely while it is being filled, or what systems this group might
> > > suggest to make the process a little easier. I generally find myself
> > > alone in the basement when bottling...my wife isn't terribly
> > > interested in the hobby and my kids are too young to assist. I have
> > > an automatic bottle filler which works great, but I generally find
> > > myself wishing I had an extra hand or two to hold the bottles steady.
> > > Any quick ideas, gimmicks, tools or thoughts on this subject???
> > >
> > > Paul
> >
> >
>
>

I have noticed that the quality of my wine gets affected by poor quality
corks.
Slowly I am moving to aluminum screw caps. Threaded top bottles are hard to
find now.
However, French producers are gradually moving to screw caps. I'll keep my
eyes open.
In the meantime I may experiment with flip flop caps. I would like to find
out more about your wine tracking system.
Denis
Rothesay, New Brunswick

"Matthew Givens" > wrote in message
ink.net...
> Well, I use a single bottling wand to fill the bottles, and I just pay
close
> attention while bottling.
>
> I have two wine boxes, place 24 bottles in the slots, and fill with the
> bottling wand via ordinary gravity feed. Although a little does overflow
> each time, this is caught by the cardboard box, and backed up by the towel
I
> have on the floor. As I do my bottling inside, in a spare room, I don't
> have the option of just cleaning the concrete floor. Carpet doesn't clean
> that easily.
>
> When all bottles are filled, I cork them with my floor corker (now that I
> have one, I don't know how I ever managed with just a hand corker). I let
> them sit upright for 2-3 days, then clean them and affix labels and foil
> caps. I keep track of the wine and its current status via a program that
I
> wrote myself.
>
>
> "Denis Marier" > wrote in message
> ...
> > This wine box, looks like a good idea.
> >
> > How to you fill the bottle. One at a time or with a gang filler meaning
12
> > at a time.
> > Do you have an automatic shut up device that prevent the wine from
> spilling
> > in to the box or on the floor?
> >
> > At this time, I still place the empties (30 bottles) on the concrete
floor
> > in gang of six and fill them one by one with a very basic dripping
plastic
> > filler. As one bottle is been filled I move the full one close to the
> > cocker. Once the cock is inserted into the bottle I move it on to the
old
> > Formica kitchen table close to the plastic tub. When the bottling is
> > completed. I mop the concrete floor and clean the cocker. Then, I clean
> the
> > outside of the filled bottles of white. After that I begin to affix the
> > dated labels on the bottles. The wine bottles are left on the table to
> rest
> > for 2-3 days
> > Once the resting is done. I may want to shrink some seals on the bottles
> > prior to storage.
> > The things that I need to improve are"
> > 1) filling without spilling.
> > 2) handling
> > 3) keeping a record of the storage
> > 4) dating the labels
> >
> > I would appreciate comments so I can better my bottling procedures.
> >
> >
> > .
> > "Matthew Givens" > wrote in message
> > ink.net...
> > > I have a wine box, slip the clear empties into the 12 slots, and fill
> > away.
> > > Works like a charm.
> > >
> > >
> > > "Paul" > wrote in message
> > > om...
> > > > I'm wondering if anyone has built a simple rack for holding the
bottle
> > > > securely while it is being filled, or what systems this group might
> > > > suggest to make the process a little easier. I generally find
myself
> > > > alone in the basement when bottling...my wife isn't terribly
> > > > interested in the hobby and my kids are too young to assist. I have
> > > > an automatic bottle filler which works great, but I generally find
> > > > myself wishing I had an extra hand or two to hold the bottles
steady.
> > > > Any quick ideas, gimmicks, tools or thoughts on this subject???
> > > >
> > > > Paul
> > >
> > >
> >
> >
>
>

Hi everyone, I haven't posted here for quite a while but I have been lurking
and reading whenever I have a chance but I couldn't resist replying to this
post.
Am I the only one giggling here? Is it a good idea to insert a cock in a
wine bottle? hehehe! )
Other than that, there are some pretty good ideas for bottling...
Louise

"Denis Marier" > wrote in message
...
> This wine box, looks like a good idea.
>
> How to you fill the bottle. One at a time or with a gang filler meaning 12
> at a time.
> Do you have an automatic shut up device that prevent the wine from
spilling
> in to the box or on the floor?
>
> At this time, I still place the empties (30 bottles) on the concrete floor
> in gang of six and fill them one by one with a very basic dripping plastic
> filler. As one bottle is been filled I move the full one close to the
> cocker. Once the cock is inserted into the bottle I move it on to the old
> Formica kitchen table close to the plastic tub. When the bottling is
> completed. I mop the concrete floor and clean the cocker. Then, I clean
the
> outside of the filled bottles of white. After that I begin to affix the
> dated labels on the bottles. The wine bottles are left on the table to
rest
> for 2-3 days
> Once the resting is done. I may want to shrink some seals on the bottles
> prior to storage.
> The things that I need to improve are"
> 1) filling without spilling.
> 2) handling
> 3) keeping a record of the storage
> 4) dating the labels
>
> I would appreciate comments so I can better my bottling procedures.
>
>
> .
> "Matthew Givens" > wrote in message
> ink.net...
> > I have a wine box, slip the clear empties into the 12 slots, and fill
> away.
> > Works like a charm.
> >
> >
> > "Paul" > wrote in message
> > om...
> > > I'm wondering if anyone has built a simple rack for holding the bottle
> > > securely while it is being filled, or what systems this group might
> > > suggest to make the process a little easier. I generally find myself
> > > alone in the basement when bottling...my wife isn't terribly
> > > interested in the hobby and my kids are too young to assist. I have
> > > an automatic bottle filler which works great, but I generally find
> > > myself wishing I had an extra hand or two to hold the bottles steady.
> > > Any quick ideas, gimmicks, tools or thoughts on this subject???
> > >
> > > Paul
> >
> >
>
>

Thanks for your input.
If corking suits you fine the more power to you. However, at this end,
corking is on its way out. I have had too many bad experiences with corks.
At one time, corks were the only thing available to bottle food and wine.
The oak trees are getting old and their bark do not re-generate has before.
These oak trees have been harvested for hundred of years. The corks
available to us now are risky to use.

"Weez" > wrote in message
.. .
> Hi everyone, I haven't posted here for quite a while but I have been
lurking
> and reading whenever I have a chance but I couldn't resist replying to
this
> post.
> Am I the only one giggling here? Is it a good idea to insert a cock in a
> wine bottle? hehehe! )
> Other than that, there are some pretty good ideas for bottling...
> Louise
>
> "Denis Marier" > wrote in message
> ...
> > This wine box, looks like a good idea.
> >
> > How to you fill the bottle. One at a time or with a gang filler meaning
12
> > at a time.
> > Do you have an automatic shut up device that prevent the wine from
> spilling
> > in to the box or on the floor?
> >
> > At this time, I still place the empties (30 bottles) on the concrete
floor
> > in gang of six and fill them one by one with a very basic dripping
plastic
> > filler. As one bottle is been filled I move the full one close to the
> > cocker. Once the cock is inserted into the bottle I move it on to the
old
> > Formica kitchen table close to the plastic tub. When the bottling is
> > completed. I mop the concrete floor and clean the cocker. Then, I clean
> the
> > outside of the filled bottles of white. After that I begin to affix the
> > dated labels on the bottles. The wine bottles are left on the table to
> rest
> > for 2-3 days
> > Once the resting is done. I may want to shrink some seals on the bottles
> > prior to storage.
> > The things that I need to improve are"
> > 1) filling without spilling.
> > 2) handling
> > 3) keeping a record of the storage
> > 4) dating the labels
> >
> > I would appreciate comments so I can better my bottling procedures.
> >
> >
> > .
> > "Matthew Givens" > wrote in message
> > ink.net...
> > > I have a wine box, slip the clear empties into the 12 slots, and fill
> > away.
> > > Works like a charm.
> > >
> > >
> > > "Paul" > wrote in message
> > > om...
> > > > I'm wondering if anyone has built a simple rack for holding the
bottle
> > > > securely while it is being filled, or what systems this group might
> > > > suggest to make the process a little easier. I generally find
myself
> > > > alone in the basement when bottling...my wife isn't terribly
> > > > interested in the hobby and my kids are too young to assist. I have
> > > > an automatic bottle filler which works great, but I generally find
> > > > myself wishing I had an extra hand or two to hold the bottles
steady.
> > > > Any quick ideas, gimmicks, tools or thoughts on this subject???
> > > >
> > > > Paul
> > >
> > >
> >
> >
>
>

I think he was referring to the misspelling. The original poster replaced
the "r" in "cork" with a "c".
"Denis Marier" > wrote in message
...
> Thanks for your input.
> If corking suits you fine the more power to you. However, at this end,
> corking is on its way out. I have had too many bad experiences with
corks.
> At one time, corks were the only thing available to bottle food and wine.
> The oak trees are getting old and their bark do not re-generate has
before.
> These oak trees have been harvested for hundred of years. The corks
> available to us now are risky to use.
>
> "Weez" > wrote in message
> .. .
> > Hi everyone, I haven't posted here for quite a while but I have been
> lurking
> > and reading whenever I have a chance but I couldn't resist replying to
> this
> > post.
> > Am I the only one giggling here? Is it a good idea to insert a cock in a
> > wine bottle? hehehe! )
> > Other than that, there are some pretty good ideas for bottling...
> > Louise
> >
> > "Denis Marier" > wrote in message
> > ...
> > > This wine box, looks like a good idea.
> > >
> > > How to you fill the bottle. One at a time or with a gang filler
meaning
> 12
> > > at a time.
> > > Do you have an automatic shut up device that prevent the wine from
> > spilling
> > > in to the box or on the floor?
> > >
> > > At this time, I still place the empties (30 bottles) on the concrete
> floor
> > > in gang of six and fill them one by one with a very basic dripping
> plastic
> > > filler. As one bottle is been filled I move the full one close to the
> > > cocker. Once the cock is inserted into the bottle I move it on to the
> old
> > > Formica kitchen table close to the plastic tub. When the bottling is
> > > completed. I mop the concrete floor and clean the cocker. Then, I
clean
> > the
> > > outside of the filled bottles of white. After that I begin to affix
the
> > > dated labels on the bottles. The wine bottles are left on the table to
> > rest
> > > for 2-3 days
> > > Once the resting is done. I may want to shrink some seals on the
bottles
> > > prior to storage.
> > > The things that I need to improve are"
> > > 1) filling without spilling.
> > > 2) handling
> > > 3) keeping a record of the storage
> > > 4) dating the labels
> > >
> > > I would appreciate comments so I can better my bottling procedures.
> > >
> > >
> > > .
> > > "Matthew Givens" > wrote in message
> > > ink.net...
> > > > I have a wine box, slip the clear empties into the 12 slots, and
fill
> > > away.
> > > > Works like a charm.
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > "Paul" > wrote in message
> > > > om...
> > > > > I'm wondering if anyone has built a simple rack for holding the
> bottle
> > > > > securely while it is being filled, or what systems this group
might
> > > > > suggest to make the process a little easier. I generally find
> myself
> > > > > alone in the basement when bottling...my wife isn't terribly
> > > > > interested in the hobby and my kids are too young to assist. I
have
> > > > > an automatic bottle filler which works great, but I generally find
> > > > > myself wishing I had an extra hand or two to hold the bottles
> steady.
> > > > > Any quick ideas, gimmicks, tools or thoughts on this subject???
> > > > >
> > > > > Paul
> > > >
> > > >
> > >
> > >
> >
> >
>
>

My words of reccomendation is simply that you don't sample too much of your
product(s) while bottling. Bottling takes coordination, and there are those
of us who have determined that we simply do not have the full coordination
required to do the bottling when under the affects of the glorious products.


LG

(Paul) wrote:

>I'm wondering if anyone has built a simple rack for holding the bottle
>securely while it is being filled, or what systems this group might
>suggest to make the process a little easier. I generally find myself
>alone in the basement when bottling...my wife isn't terribly
>interested in the hobby and my kids are too young to assist. I have
>an automatic bottle filler which works great, but I generally find
>myself wishing I had an extra hand or two to hold the bottles steady.
>Any quick ideas, gimmicks, tools or thoughts on this subject???
>
>Paul