Quick answer
- Fill so the wine sits about 1 cm (½ in) below the bottom of the cork. That is usually 4 to 5 cm (1½ to 2 in) from the top of the bottle.
- Fill quickly and gently with a bottle filler to avoid splashing.
- Leave bottles upright for 3 to 5 days after corking, then lay them down.
What You Need
- A sanitized siphon hose, a hose clamp and a racking cane
- A bottle filler (highly recommended)
- Clean, sanitized bottles and corks
- Your carboy set up higher than the bottles, so the siphon can flow
Prefer an all-in-one tool? An auto-siphon starts the flow with a pump, so there is no need to suck on the hose. For larger batches, a vacuum filler like the Enolmatic fills each bottle to the same level.
How a Bottle Filler Works
A bottle filler is a rigid tube with a spring valve at the tip. Press it against the bottom of the bottle and wine flows. Lift it and the flow stops. Because it fills from the bottom up, it avoids splashing and makes consistent fill levels easy. When you pull the filler out, the level drops by about the volume of the tube, which leaves just the right headspace.
How Full Should a Wine Bottle Be?
Fill so there is about 1 cm (½ in) between the wine and the bottom of the cork. That is usually 4 to 5 cm (1½ to 2 in) from the top of the bottle, depending on cork length.
- Too little headspace: the cork compresses the air as it goes in, and that pressure can push the cork back out.
- Too much headspace (ullage): extra air in the bottle can oxidize the wine.
Fill Quickly and Gently
Too much splashing can strip out the protective sulphite and lead to browning. It can also wake up stabilized yeast cells. Work quickly and keep the filler near the bottom of the bottle.
If you filtered your wine, let it rest in the carboy for a day or two before bottling, so any air picked up during filtering can escape.
Working Alone or With a Helper
On your own, fill every bottle first, then cork them all. With a helper, one person fills while the other corks.
After Corking
- Wipe the bottle and the top of the cork so moisture doesn’t grow mould.
- Label the bottles right away, before you forget which wine is which. Add shrink caps too. See How to Apply Shrink Caps.
- Leave the bottles upright for 3 to 5 days. The compressed air under the cork can only work its way out while the bottle stands. Lay it down too soon, and the trapped pressure pushes wine against the cork and can force it out.
- Then store the bottles on their sides, so the wine keeps the corks moist.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did my corks pop out after bottling?
Usually there wasn’t enough headspace, the bottles were laid down too soon, or the wine was not fully degassed or finished fermenting.
Can I fill bottles straight from a filter?
With a manual filter you can, but we prefer to filter into a carboy and wait a day or two before bottling.
How long should bottles stand upright?
3 to 5 days after corking.
Keep Reading
Need a hand with your batch? Call us toll-free at 1-877-668-6160 (Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Eastern) or send us a message.
This guide is adapted from the ABC Crafted Series booklet Wine From Kits: What the Instructions Don’t Always Tell You. Always follow the instructions that come with your kit.