After ageing in stainless steel tanks, barrels, etc., the wine is bottled. Legal requirements must be fulfilled in good time beforehand, i.e. the submission for the official test number (Germany) or state test number (Austria). From this point on, various changes may no longer be made. The wine has to be chemically and physically stable, which is achieved by various measures (see also under Beading). Sulphurisation takes place a long time before bottling to prevent oxidation in the bottle. To check the protein stability, a sample is heated to over 70 °Celsius for two to three hours and then checked for protein turbidity. Tartaric stability is achieved by adding metatartaric acid.
Filling system GAI
The picture shows a compact filling system from the Italian bottling plant manufacturer GAI. It consists of the components bottle ejector, deaeration station, drop pressure filler, gas injector and capping station (optionally for cork or screw cap) with a capacity of up to 2,400 bottles per hour (per bottle 1.5 seconds). In the video (click to view), the filling line of the Austrian winery Scheiblhofer (Andau, wine-growing region Neusiedlersee in Burgenland) is shown from bottling to labelling to packaging in cartons. At the very bottom, the filling line of the Agricultural College Krems for Viticulture and Fruit Growing in Lower Austria can be seen
Choice of closure system
For used bottles, thorough cleaning, disinfection and sterilisation is an absolute prerequisite against harmful microorganisms such as acetobacter (acetic acid bacteria), yeasts or moulds. Ozone, peroxyacetic acid, sulphur dioxide or hydrogen peroxide are used...
