Removing oxygen during bottling can mean different things to different wine makers. Some plan on drinking their wine in the very near future and therefore the presence of some oxygen during the Bottle Filling step doesn’t mean a whole lot. To others, their wine might be stored (aged) for months or years and they are trying to eliminate as much oxygen from their bottled wine as possible.
For Small Scale Bottling production, we feel that the filling itself is best achieved using a Gravity Bottle Filler, with a reservoir located vertically above the bottle filler nozzles. These nozzles are specifically designed to remove oxygen from the bottle during the bottling process. Before the wine can be bottled, the filtered wine is easily moved from a tote, barrel, tank, etc… to the bottle filler in a couple of different ways. The simplest is by using gravity. Gravity is not only free, it requires fewer connections and hardware. In order to take advantage of gravity, all you need to do is simply keep the level of your wine container above the level of your Gravity Bottle Filler. You can accomplish this by having your container raised with a forklift or place your wine supply up on a sturdy shelf – or any other creative way you can think of to elevate your container.
Once the bottles are placed onto the bottle filler under the reservoir so that the filler nozzles enter the bottles, the flow of wine into the bottles starts automatically. As the wine flows from each nozzle into the bottle, the oxygen in the bottle is displaced through a small exhaust port built into the filling nozzle.
Our filling nozzles are uniquely designed to remove oxygen from your bottle during the filling process. The tip of our nozzle contains 2 ports – a larger opening for the wine to flow into the bottle, and a smaller opening to allow the oxygen to evacuate the bottle. The oxygen is then sent straight up this stainless-steel port and emptied into the top of the reservoir, ‘blanketing’ the wine in the reservoir. As the new wine is being fed into the reservoir (tank) of the bottle filler through the bottom of the tank from your container, the unwanted oxygen stays above the wine and is therefore never allowed to touch the wine flowing into the bottles.
Besides removing oxygen from your bottle during the filling itself, there are additional ways to remove oxygen from your wine bottles during small scale bottling. A sparger will give your bottle a very quick gas injection before the bottle filling stage. A sparger simply doses the bottle with gas before it’s placed onto the Gravity Bottle Filler. Everybody seems to have their own preferences, but the most common gases used by the sparger are argon, nitrogen and carbon dioxide (CO2). Another way to remove oxygen from your bottle can be done at the corking station. Semi-Automated Wine Corkers have the option to either: 1) add a dose of gas (similar the idea of sparging before bottling) or 2) use the vacuum feature on the wine corker that removes the head space ‘air’ immediately before inserting the cork.
Removing oxygen during bottling is crucial for maintaining product quality, freshness, and shelf life. By implementing advanced oxygen removal techniques, manufacturers can enhance taste, prevent spoilage, and improve overall customer satisfaction. Investing in the right solutions will ensure a superior final product and long-term success.