When Ready for Bottling.—Wines should not be bottled till their insensible fermentation is entirely completed, have become entirely freed from deposits, excess of color, salts, and ferments, and have become perfectly bright. If they are bottled before these conditions are fulfilled, deposits are made in the bottles, the wines may contract bitterness and a taste of the lees, and if fermentation is violent, the bottles may burst. When they are bottled too young they are sure to deposit, and then they must be decanted.

The Length of Time that They Require to Remain in Wood before being ready for bottling, depends upon the strength and quality of the wines, and the conditions under which they are kept.

Weak wines, feeble in color and spirit, mature rapidly, while firm, full-bodied wines, rich in color and alcohol, require a longer time to become sufficiently ripe to admit of bottling.

The older writers say that wines should not be put into glass until they have become fully ripe, and have become tawny (if red), and have developed a bouquet. But Boireau says that this is not the proper practice. He says that wine is fit for bottling when freed from its sediment, and when there is hardly any deposit formed in the cask at the semi-annual racking—when its color is bright, and it has lost its roughness or harshness, which it possesses while young, and at the same time preserves its mellowness. If left in the cask till a bouquet is developed, wines will often be found to be in a decline by the time they are bottled, and will not keep as long as those bottled previous to the development of their bouquet, and while they still possess their fruity flavor. But greater precautions must be taken to insure their limpidity, or they will be liable to deposit heavily in the bottle. And Machard, who indicates aroma and color as signs of proper maturity, though laying more stress upon the taste, says that it is always better to be a little too soon than to wait till the wine passes the point.

Some wines are fit for the bottle at one year old, others require to be kept from two to six years, and some even ten years, or longer, in wood. White wine, generally speaking, matures earlier than red.

How Prepared for Bottling.—Although a wine may appear perfectly limpid to the eye, yet, when bottled, it may make a considerable deposit, and therefore, the only safety is to carefully rack and fine it to get rid of the insoluble matters in suspension. If it is not clear after one fining, it must be drawn off and the process repeated. When fined and cleared, it is better to rack again into a cask slightly sulphured, and allow it to rest for three or four weeks before drawing into the bottles; for if drawn from a cask still containing the finings, the sediment is liable to be stirred up by the movement of the liquid. If this is not done, the faucet should be fixed in place at the time of fining and before the wine has settled, and at the same time the cask should be slightly inclined forward and blocked in that position, and other precautions must be taken not to disturb the cask after the wine has cleared. If the wine is too feeble to allow of fining without injury, and one is sure of its perfect limpidity, the fining had better be dispensed with. Very young wines may be bottled after subjecting them to repeated finings, but it will deprive them of some of their good qualities. (See Fining.) It often happens that a well-covered, or dark-colored wine will deposit considerable color in the bottle after one fining; such wine should be twice fined, and twice racked before fining, say, once in December or January, and again in March.

The Most Favorable Time for Bottling is during cool, dry weather, but in cellars of uniform temperature, it may be done at any time. It is better, if possible, to avoid warm or stormy weather, and those critical periods in the growth of the vine referred to in the chapter on Racking. Of course, the wine should not be bottled if it shows signs of fermentation.

Bottles should always be carefully washed and drained before using. They are best washed by the use of a machine made for the purpose, which scrubs them inside—and sometimes, also, outside—with a brush (fig. 27). If only a small number of bottles are to be cleaned, it may be done by using the chain made for the purpose, or by putting in coarse sand or gravel and water, and thoroughly shaking them. Shot must not be used, for a portion of the lead will be dissolved by the water, and if any remains in the bottle it will be acted upon by the wine, and lead poisoning may result. In many cases it will be necessary only to rinse them out with clean water. Whether new or second-hand, they must be scrupulously clean before using. After the bottles are rinsed, they should be allowed to drain by leaving them inverted for an hour or two in a dry place; if they are left in a damp cellar, they are liable to contract a musty flavor within. They may be drained by placing the necks downward through holes bored in a plank, by inverting them in boxes or baskets, or by placing them upon pegs or nails driven into a post, and inclining upwards sufficiently to leave the opening of the bottle down, when the neck is slipped over the peg or nail. Figs. 28 and 29 show devices for the purpose. The bottles are sometimes rinsed out with wine, or if intended to contain very poor, weak wine, with a little brandy. This is done by pouring the liquor from one bottle to another.

It is best to use bottles uniform in size for each lot of wine, and certainly to reject those which are cracked, have large blisters, and those which are very thin. These latter, however, may be employed, if but little pressure is used in corking, but they should be placed by themselves, or on the top of the pile. No one would make use of such bottles except to store wine for his own consumption.

Clear and transparent bottles are used for white wine, and those of colored glass for red. Hock, however, is often put in brownish bottles, conical in shape. White wines which are perfectly limpid show to advantage in clear bottles, but red wines, if stored in such, are liable to lose their color by the action of light.

It is important that the glass of which wine bottles are made should not contain too much soda, potash, or lime, or they may combine with the acids, and injure the wine. By the use of crude soda, alkaline sulphites may be formed in the glass, and communicate an odor of sulphuretted hydrogen to the wine.

Filling the Bottles.—If the faucet has not previously been placed in the cask, it must now be done with great care, so as not to disturb any lees that may have remained at the last racking. The faucet should be put into the cask open, as for racking, and with very light blows of the hammer. A shallow dish or bucket is placed under the faucet in which the bottle stands. An ordinary brass faucet may be used, or the bottles may be filled much more rapidly by drawing the wine from the cask into a reservoir provided with as many faucets or tubes as bottles which it is desired to fill at the same time (fig. 30). The cask must be vented either by making a gimlet hole or two near the bung, or the bung must be removed. The latter, however, must not be done by blows with the bung-starter, but by using the bung screw (fig. 31), or the lees will be stirred up. The bottle should not be placed upright so that the wine will fall directly to the bottom, but should be slightly inclined so as to permit the wine to trickle down the inside, or a foam will be formed, and it will be difficult to fill the bottle. The workman having his empty bottles within reach, allows a little of the first wine to run into the dish, or into a bottle, which is put aside, as there may be some impurities in the faucet. The workman is seated in front of the cask, and the empty bottles are placed one at a time under the faucet as described. As soon as one bottle is filled, it is removed and another put in its place, without closing the faucet, and without loss of wine. The sediment would be disturbed by the shocks caused by opening and shutting the faucet.

If the needle is used in corking the bottles, they should be filled within a little more than an inch of the top, and if corked in the ordinary manner, only to within about two inches of the opening, leaving an inch of vacancy below the cork; always, however, depending somewhat upon the length of the corks used. This is continued, placing the full bottles in a convenient place, until the wine ceases to run at the faucet. The cask must then be slightly inclined forward, as described in the case of racking. At this stage, great care must be taken not to trouble the wine; and if a few bottles at the end contain that which is not clear, they should be put aside, to be decanted after settling. In drawing from the upper tiers of casks in piles, the basin must be elevated sufficiently to bring the bottle placed in it up to the faucet, or the latter may be connected with it by a hose.

Corks.—Only good corks should be used. They are supple and uniform in texture. Poor corks are sold in the market, in which is found a good deal of the dark, hard portion of the bark, which are not only liable to break the bottles by the great amount of pressure required to insert them, but also to discolor the wine, affect its flavor, and to permit it to leak out. Straight corks are used now-a-days, somewhat larger than the neck of the bottle, and are forced in by means of

Corking Machines.—These machines are of different forms and make, but are provided with a hollow cone through which the cork is forced by a piston, compressing it so that it easily goes into the neck of the bottle. Some work with a lever, and some with a crank. In the small hand-machine, the piston is pushed by the hand. The bottles may be made full enough so that the wine will touch the bottom of the cork, leaving no vacant space, if the needle is used in corking. This is a small, tapering, half-round, steel instrument, one-tenth of an inch in diameter, with a groove along the flat side. By placing this in the neck with the groove next the glass, the cork may be forced down to the wine, the air and surplus wine escaping by the groove. After the cork is driven home, the needle is removed. A piece of wire, provided with a handle, will answer the purpose. The handle of the needle (either a ring, or like that of a gimblet), is attached by a hinge, and turns down out of the way of the tube and piston of the machine. Some bottling machines have a needle attachment. Bottles corked by the use of this instrument do not contain a vacant space, and the wine keeps better, not being exposed to the action of the air, which would otherwise remain in the neck of the bottle, and not being shaken in transportation.

Figures 32 and 33 show corking machines with and without needles. In fig. 33 two needles are also shown.

If the old-fashioned conical corks are used, they may be driven home with a small mallet, or wooden paddle, but the cylindrical corks are preferable, if the wine is to be kept long.

Preparation of the Corks.—In order to render them more supple, they are soaked for several hours in water. What is far better, however, is to steam them for two or three hours, or soak them in hot water. They should be allowed to drain, and then be dipped in wine like that to be bottled. Some dip them in alcohol to render them more slippery, and some again, put a drop or two of sweet oil on the surface of the water in which they are wet.

The Corks may be Driven down Flush with the opening of the bottle, or they may be left projecting a quarter of an inch, and if much larger than the neck of the bottle, a shoulder will be formed, as in the case of sparkling wines. The object of leaving the corks projecting a third of their length in bottling sparkling wines is, that they may be forced out with an explosion; and the shoulder completely closes the bottle, being wired down.

Sealing the Corks.—If the bottles are stored in a damp place where the corks are liable to rot, and also if they are to be kept more than two years, it is well to cover the ends of the corks with wax. This also prevents attacks by insects.

The Sealing Wax used should be sufficiently adhesive, but not too hard and brittle. Various receipts are given for its preparation, and the following is given by Boireau: Melt common pitch or turpentine over a slow fire, taking care not to allow it to boil over. When it is well melted, remove whatever impurities it contains, add a little tallow—a little less than an ounce of tallow to a pound of pitch. Its natural color is reddish, and is used without addition of coloring matter. Rosin may be substituted for the pitch. Instead of making this preparation, the fruit wax of commerce may be used. About the same quantity of tallow, however, should be added, if sealing wax is used, or otherwise it will be too brittle. The tallow may be replaced by beeswax with advantage.

An excellent bottle wax is said to be made by melting together two pounds rosin, one pound Burgundy pitch, one-fourth pound yellow wax, and one-eighth pound red wax. The wax may be replaced by three ounces of tallow. If too much tallow is added the cement will be too soft.

The Cement is Applied Hot.—It must be melted, and the bottle reversed and dipped into it, so that the wax will cover the end of the cork and a small part of the neck of the bottle, say down to the ring. It is entirely unnecessary to cover more of the neck of the bottle.

Coloring Matter may be added to these different cements, and any desired color produced. A little more than half an ounce of the following named substances is stirred in to one pound of the melted wax.

A brilliant red is produced by vermilion, a duller red by red ochre, black with animal black, yellow with orpiment, dark yellow with yellow ochre, and blue with Prussian blue. Green is made by mixing equal parts of blue and yellow, and other shades may be made by mixing the different colors to suit the taste.

Capsules are now much used instead of wax. In preparing the bottled wine for shipment, where the corks have previously been waxed for storing in the cellar, capsules are also used. In this case, the wax is removed before the capsule is put on by means of a pair of pincers with roughened jaws (fig. 34). These capsules in different colors are sold by dealers in corks.

They are Put on by slipping one over the neck of the bottle as far as it will go, and then pressing it down closely all round. For this purpose, one turn is made around the end of the capsule with a stout cord fastened at one end, and the bottle is pushed forward with one hand, while the loose end of the string is pulled tight with the other, thus sliding the loop over the capsule and the neck of the bottle, and pressing it firmly in place. Instead of holding the cord with one hand, it may be attached to a pedal worked by the foot. A machine (fig. 35) is made with two posts or standards, one solid, to which one end of the cord, A, is attached, and the other playing on a hinge, to which the other end is fastened, and pulled tight by a pedal, B.

Piling of Bottles.—Bottles may be stacked on the floor of the cellar in piles consisting of a single or a double range. The bed should be made level by arranging the soil, or by laying down strips of wood, and leveling them. The bottles should be laid horizontal. If the neck is down, the deposit will be on and near the cork, and will trouble the wine as it runs from the bottle. If the bottom is lower than the neck, the cork will not be kept wet, and the wine is liable to be injured by the air, as the cork is not perfectly air-tight. The bottles should be supported at two points, the neck and the bottom; the belly of the bottle needs no support. If two tiers of bottles are put in a pile, the bottoms are on the outside, with the necks at the middle of the pile. Laths are used to support the bottles, about three-eighths of an inch thick, and one inch or more wide. The lower row of one tier is made by laying down at the outside of the pile two laths to support the bottom end of the bottle, and one thick strip or sufficient laths are laid down to support the neck, inside the ring, and keep the bottle level. The next tier may be commenced by laying one or two laths on the necks of the bottles of the first one to support the necks of those of the other, the necks of the bottles of one tier lapping over those of the bottles of the other; the bottoms of those of this tier must be sufficiently elevated by laths to keep the bottles level. The next row of bottles is supported by laths laid on those below, one or two near the outer end of the lower ones, and a larger number on their necks. In this case the necks all point in, the bottoms being together (fig. 36). The bottles of each row should be sufficiently separated to allow those of the next row above to be supported by the laths without touching each other, and should be blocked after adjusting the distances. The piles may be made from three to six feet high, and must be supported at the ends, either by the cellar walls or posts.

Each tier may be made entirely independent of the other, by supporting the necks of the bottles of the next upper row on laths laid near the bottoms of those of the first row, one row having the necks pointing out, and the next one having them pointing the other way. In this case the bottles in a row may be separated an inch or more from each other, and blocked with bits of cork.

Racks and Bins for Bottles.—Instead of piling the bottles, they may be arranged in bins constructed for the purpose. The simplest is a frame of wood or iron of the desired length and height, and deep enough to accommodate one or two tiers of bottles. The lower bars on which the first row of bottles rests, should be so arranged as to support them in a level position, as already described for piling. If only one tier is to be made, only two bars at the bottom are necessary, but if double ranges are to be made, the frame must be deeper, and have a middle bar to support the necks of the bottles, the bottoms all being outside. The bottles are piled in these frames in the manner already described.

Instead of piling them in simple frames with the use of laths, racks are made with bars to support each row of bottles by itself, and so that any one bottle can be taken out without disturbing the rest. If the supports are of wood, they may be cut, or if of iron, bent in a form to fit each bottle, that is, in small half-circles in which the bottles rest, with smaller ones for the necks, or they may be straight. These bins may be made portable, and of any size to suit. (Figs. 37 and 38.)

Burrow’s Patent Slider Bin, made in England, has a separate compartment for each bottle.

Treatment of Wine in Bottles.—Sometimes it will be found that wine ferments in the bottle, becomes turbid, and makes a voluminous deposit, or may contract various maladies, such as bitterness, harshness, ropiness, or may become putrid. These effects result principally from bottling the wine too young, before insensible fermentation and the natural clearing has been completed, or they may be caused by changes of temperature, or too great age.

Fermentation in the Bottles is due to the same causes as fermentation in casks—changes of temperature, contact of the air, etc. It may be avoided by bottling at the proper time, carefully protecting the wine from the air by corking the bottles hermetically by the use of the needle, and keeping them in a cellar of even temperature. Boireau says that sweet and mellow wines are liable to ferment in bottles, especially if exposed to a high temperature, unless their alcoholic strength exceeds 15 per cent. Still wines which ferment in the bottle generally must be emptied into casks, and there treated as indicated in the chapter on Diseases. Temporary relief may be given by putting the bottles in a cooler place, and uncorking them for an hour or two to allow the gas to escape.

Deposits and Turbidity.—Wine, after being some time in glass, forms more or less deposit, according to its age, quality, and degree of limpidity at the time of bottling. The deposits consist almost entirely of coloring matter, and vegetable and mineral salts; sometimes they adhere to the sides of the bottle, and in some cases they render the wine turbid, and again they present the appearance of gravel when the wine contains much tartar.

In wines bottled too young, or which are made by mixing those of different natures, quite a voluminous deposit may be formed after they have remained a few years in glass. But good, natural wines, of good growth, well cared for, and bottled under proper conditions, scarcely commence to deposit at the end of one or two years. The deposit, however, will be increased, if the bottles are frequently disturbed, are transported long distances, undergo changes of temperature, or are kept so long that they begin to degenerate. If there is much deposit, it is apt to give the wine a bitter or acrid flavor, or a taste of the lees. Therefore, if the wines are of high quality, they should be decanted.

Mr. Boireau proceeds to say that if the deposit is small, and we are dealing with grand wines in bottles, which have contracted no bad taste, it is better not to decant them, for the operation is liable to cause a loss of a portion of the bouquet, especially if not done with proper precautions.

These directions only apply to those bottled wines which have deposited sediment, but which are nevertheless clear, and bright, and of a lively color. Those, however, which become and remain turbid, must be fined, and for this purpose they must be put into casks. If wines containing sediment are brought to the table without decanting, they are kept in nearly the same position as they occupied in the cellar, by using small baskets contrived for the purpose. (See Decantation.)

Bitterness and Acrity, when not caused by deposits, are due to loss of the fruitiness and mellowness of the wine, which then has commenced to decline. The only remedy in case of fine wines which have preserved their bouquet, is to mix them with younger wines, mellow and perfectly bright. This should be done by decanting without contact with the air; but if they are seriously affected, they must be put into casks and the operation there performed; then they should be well fined before re-bottling.

Ropiness in bottled wines, which is due to lack of tannin, generally occurs in white wines which have been bottled before perfectly clear, and while they contained considerable nitrogenous and albuminous matters in suspension. The treatment is indicated elsewhere.

In most cases, if the wines are worn out, it will be necessary to put them into casks, and mix them with younger ones of the same quality.

Degeneration and Putridity.—Wine may be kept and improved in bottles, if properly treated, as long as its constituent principles remain soluble and in combination; but with the lapse of time, varying with different kinds, it begins to lose quality. This degeneration, says the author last quoted, announces itself a long time in advance, in the grand wines, by a loss of their unctuosity, of their fruity flavor, and by a bitter and sometimes acrid taste; and if they are kept for several years more, the fragrance of the bouquet is lost, and they contract a rancio or tawny flavor, which masks their natural flavor; they rapidly lose color, and form a deposit much more considerable than in the earlier years of their sojourn in bottles; and finally, when their degeneracy is advanced, they give off a slightly putrid odor.

As soon as high priced wines have attained their entire development in bottles, in order to prevent their decline, they should be carefully decanted into bottles with ground glass stoppers, previously rinsed with wine of the same kind.

Loss of color, joined with an abundant deposit, which is a sure sign of degeneration in the wines of the Gironde, do not mean the same in all other kinds. For instance, the red wines of Spain (and we may add, Portugal), and the sweet wines of Roussillon, which have a very dark color when young, almost entirely lose it after three or four years in bottle; they become tawny, without degenerating; but, quite to the contrary, their quality is improved.

It is observed, however, that in wines of these latter classes, whose alcoholic strength exceeds 15 per cent., the deposit is not so great, compared with the amount of coloring matter precipitated, as in wines of the first mentioned growth, and that the coloring matter adheres to the sides of the bottle, instead of falling to the bottom. Some of our California wines deposit a good deal of color in the bottle, even when fined. Probably a double fining would be advantageous in many cases.

As alcohol and tannin are the preservative principles of wines, those last longest which are best provided with them.

The cause of the degeneration of wine is the decomposition of its constituent parts, which thereby become insoluble, and are precipitated. The loss of tannin, which in time is transformed into gallic acid, takes from feeble wines their best conservator, and causes precipitation of the coloring matter. And it is observed in practice that wines which contain a great quantity of tannin last longer than those of the same alcoholic strength having less tannin.

Decantation consists in drawing a wine from the bottle containing it, so as to leave the sediment behind. It should be done without exposing the wine to the air.

The bottles should be brought from the cellar without changing their position, for if the deposit is disturbed, and the wine becomes cloudy, the bottles must rest till it has settled again. For this purpose they are laid in a basket, or other suitable receptacle, where they are inclined just enough so that the wine will not run out when the cork is removed (fig. 40). The cork must be drawn without disturbing the sediment, by using a corkscrew, which by means of a screw or lever, gradually removes it, and without a shock (fig. 41). The wine is slowly run into another clean bottle previously rinsed with the same kind of wine. If the wine is in its decline, rinse the bottles with old brandy.

The Operation may be Performed by carefully pouring the wine into the empty bottle through a small funnel, which is provided with a strainer. By means of a light placed below the bottle, the sediment can be watched, and as soon as it is about to run out with the wine, the operation must cease. The new bottle must be filled up with the same kind of wine and immediately corked. In decanting in this manner, the bubbling of the air passing into the bottle as the wine runs out, is very apt to disturb the lees. This may be prevented by using a small tube, slightly curved, which connects the air outside with the vacant space in the bottle. In order to prevent access of the air, however, an instrument is used consisting of two conical corks, connected by a small rubber tube. Each cork is pierced with two holes; the one placed in the bottle to be emptied, besides the hole which receives the rubber hose through which the wine runs, is provided with one through which a bent tube is placed to admit the air; the hose passes through the other cork and conducts the wine into the other bottle, and this cork has another hole for the escape of the air (fig. 42).