ready to bottle for the first time...HELP!

So we have just bottled our third batch of beer...so i am familiar with that process. I figured I would bottle my three batches of wine today since its a snow day here in Minnesota!

I got the bottles washed and de-labled when i realized I had no idea what I was doing. Is there anything special I should know before I go ahead and bottle?
I have a gallon of Huckleberry, a gallon of Saki (rice wine technically) and a 2 gallons of pumpkin. All 3 have been racked twice and have been sitting in their respective carboys for roughly 3 months.

I'm not super experienced, but here is my two cents.
-Make sure it's totally finished fermenting.
-Check to make sure it's degassed(I have one miserable gallon of apple/strawberry that is 6 months old and still super gassy)
-As I'm sure is the case with beer, sanitize, sanitize, sanitize. And organize everything before you start.

Thanks for your 2 cents Bluespark.....

i am pretty sure it is done fermenting....but how do i know if it is gassy?

dustyacre said:

Thanks for your 2 cents Bluespark.....

i am pretty sure it is done fermenting....but how do i know if it is gassy?

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Give it a gentle stir. Any bubbles rise up?

Make sure to drink wine while bottling wine. Must keep with tradition.
Also, remember, have fun!

To check for gas...Put a small amount in your test jar and cover the top with your palm. Shake the wine pretty hard. When you release your hand, if there is gas, it will pop like a Coke bottle would. It won't come out when bottled.

"Pretty sure" will get you bottle bombs. You must be absolutely sure its done fermenting and stabilized.

Other than that, fill up so that there are 2 fingers worth of space under the cork and don't lay the bottles down for a few days to allow the corks to set in place.

If you are going to store the wine for more than a year, add a half campden tab per gallon to protect the wine from oxidizing.

I'll also agree with William...you must drink wine while bottling wine!

Thanks for the help everyone!

Rest assured, you don't have to worry about me NOT drinking wine while bottling...lol!!

dustyacre said:

Thanks for the help everyone!

Rest assured, you don't have to worry about me NOT drinking wine while bottling...lol!!

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Great...then the tradition continues.