First time bottling wine and I'm confused

[gwsiegfried]

So, I have a wine kit, Vintners Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, I'm getting ready to bottle and have a few questions.

It says if I want to age more than 6 months, I should add metabisulphite powder to prevent oxidation.
Is that if I want to bulk age or age in the bottle or either way?

It says to go directly from the carboy it's been sitting in for the last month to the bottles. I'm used to bottling beer where I transfer to a bottling bucket first.
Is there any reason I wouldn't want to do this? And if I do this, then is it necessary to let it sit in the bottling bucket for a few days to settle?
I'm concerned that I'll get sediment from the carboy, but maybe not every bottle. If I rack to a bottling bucket and don't let it sit, I'll have uniform bottles with perhaps some sediment in each - which would stink. I took a sample with a wine thief and the wine's clear, so what's the best way to ensure it as many bottles as possible remain clear?
I'm also concerned that running a siphon from the carboy to individual bottles will result in me causing quite a mess and stirring up the sediment from the carboy. Doing all transfer in one siphon to the bottling bucket seems like the simplest and best way to prevent stirring up any sediment. Ideas?

Do I need to sanitize the corks? Would just spraying with star san be sufficient or is getting them wet a bad idea?


Thanks for the help.

 

[WilliamSlayer]

The kmeta is for aging in bottle or carboy.

Use your beer experience. You are correct in assuming that going to a bottling bucket is the way to go.

Corks need to be sanitized...they touch the wine! A quick soak(5 min) in either kmeta or starsan is sufficient.

Hope that helps!

 

[gwsiegfried]

Sweet. So if I transfer to a bottling bucket, that's when I can add the sulphite, similar to how I'd add carbing sugar in beer bottling?

I think this is the last question then. When I add carbing sugar, I have to boil it to sanitize it, but what I'm reading says to add the sulphite to cold water and just add to the wine. No sanitizing needed?

Thanks again.

 

[Yooper]

Sweet. So if I transfer to a bottling bucket, that's when I can add the sulphite, similar to how I'd add carbing sugar in beer bottling?

I think this is the last question then. When I add carbing sugar, I have to boil it to sanitize it, but what I'm reading says to add the sulphite to cold water and just add to the wine. No sanitizing needed?

Thanks again.

Yep, that's exactly right.

No need to sanitize the k-meta- the k-meta IS the sanitizer when you think about it!

I don't soak my corks with sanitizer, but I do make a "cork humidor". What I do is take that k-meta and a cup of water, and boil the water in the microwave. Then add the k-meta and still in the glass measuring cup, I put the whole thing in a bowl, and put the corks all around it. I cover it. Then the corks sort of "steam" in the hot k-meta vapors. Do NOT breathe this- it'll start you coughing like you can't believe and irritate your lungs if you get a breathful.

I let that sit while I get my stuff ready and then take out the water/k-meta mixture and pour that into my bottling bucket and then rack the wine into it. That kills two birds with one stone, I guess, and I've been doing it this way for many many years!

 

[pumpkinman2012]

I don't soak my corks with sanitizer, but I do make a "cork humidor".

I almost went into a panic when I read about soaking corks! Never soak corks, it can and will lead to corks breaking down.

Yooper, great advice once again! Homebrew talk is lucky to have you here!

 

[DoctorCAD]

I dont soak, just sit for 1 or 2 minutes or so. Haven't had a cork issue yet.

I also use a bottling bucket, a great place to put the sulfite solution. Don't let it sit too long, oxygen is the wines enemy at this stage.

 

[gwsiegfried]

Excellent. Thank you to all - I'll be putting together my humidor in 5 minutes and will start the bottling exercise soon there after.

Thank you again.