Bottle Sanitizing Question

Either one will work to sanitize the bottles -- but if you use iodine, you'd damn well better rinse it out *completely* before bottling if you want drinkable wine.

I use a solution made up of 2 ounces potassium metabisulfite to 1 gallon of water to sanitize the bottles: swish it around, pour out the excess, and bottle without rinsing.

You can use Iodine solution, but I don't recommend it. Any residual Iodine will neutralize some of the sulfites (Campden) added to the wine. If you do use it, I would suggest rinsing well.

IMO, a Campden (or Pot. Meta.) solution is better and doesn't really need to be rinsed, only drained.

Andy

For used bottles, I use a cleaning solution followed by Iodine followed by potassium Meta / Citric solution. For new bottles, I use only the Meta/Citric.

Steven, I wash wine bottles Sunday mornings using a cup of automatic dishwasher detergent and a couple of ounces of Clorox in a sink of hot water. I rinse the bottles three times in hot water. The bottles are stored points down in clean cardboard cartons and the cartons are stored in a clean, dry place. Several months later, I remove the bottles from the cartons and fill them with wine. I have been bottling 200 to 300 cartons of wine a year for 20 years using second hand bottles. No problems yet.

lum, Del Mar, Cal. USA

I've been using a BTF sanitizer for all my sterilizing. I made up a gallon jug of the solution that I use to fill a spray bottle for cleaning testing equipment. I also clean carboys, the primary, bottles and tubing with it. I do rinse everything very well with cold water afterwards. The bottles dry in a plastic tree.

Now I'm no expert (understatement) , but I haven't detected any abnormalities using BTF.

B-T-F is an iodophor sanitizer that came with my initial wine making kit. I've since purchased a few of the 33 oz bottles. Costs around $13. I use one tbsp per 5 gallons per the kit instructions. They suggest letting it just drip dry for 10 minutes. I prefer to rinse everything I sanitize with it.

Here's a good article on the sanitizer:

Anyone out there have any bad experiences or warnings on using B-T-F?

Nick Ruchalski Sussex, NJ

Maybe that should read....

I prefer to rinse everything I sanitize with cold water. ;-)

BTF Idophor is a concentrated Iodine that is mixed with water to create a sanitizing solution. Very common in brewing circles.

Andy

Try this as an experiment next time you are bottling. Use an accurate graduated cylinder to measure out about as much solution as you normally rinse your bottles with. Maybe 100 cc. Pour it into a bottle, rinse and pour it back into the cylinder. Then use it on the next bottle. Repeat this for 4 or 5 bottles. Note how much solution you have lost. You may be surprised how much you are leaving behind. This is not bad if you adjust what you add to your wine before bottling to take this into account.

Ray