One Winexpert kit fills 28 to 30 bottles of 750 mL, so bring that many clean bottles, or buy new ones in the shop. For wine made at home, Winexpert's instructions also call for corks, a bottle filler, and cleaning and sanitizing every bottle before it is filled.
How many bottles does one wine kit fill?
Between 28 and 30 standard 750 mL bottles. Island Wine Experts puts most kits at about 29 bottles, and Revelation, a smaller kit, at about 15.
| Kit | Bottles to have ready |
|---|---|
| One kit from most ranges | 30 |
| Two kits | 60 |
| One Revelation kit | 15 |
| Two Revelation kits made together | 30 |
Having 30 ready per kit covers the high end of Winexpert's range.
Can you reuse wine bottles?
Yes, as long as each one is cleaned and then sanitized before it is filled, which Winexpert's instructions require for every bottle.
How do you clean and sanitize wine bottles?
Winexpert's instructions treat it as two steps: first clean the bottles with a winemaking cleaner and rinse them well. Then sanitize them with a metabisulphite solution and rinse again. The sulphite package that comes in the kit is for the wine, not for sanitizing.
What else do you need to bottle wine at home?
Besides the bottles, Winexpert's equipment list for bottling at home includes corks, tubing and a bottle filler.
- 28 to 30 bottles of 750 mL, cleaned and sanitized
- 28 to 30 corks
- Racking tube and about six feet of food-grade tubing, to move the wine
- A bottle filler, which lets wine flow when pressed into the bottle and stops when lifted
The wine has to be perfectly clear before it goes into a bottle. After corking, stand the bottles upright for three to five days, then lay them on their sides.
What do you bring when the shop made your wine?
Your bottles. With on-site wine making at Island Wine Experts, the shop does the fermenting and clearing at 238 University Ave. Just for the final stage: bring your bottles in for bottling. Bring your own, or buy new bottles in the shop.
To have the shop make your next batch, choose "Make it here" on any kit, for $81.50 plus HST, or read how on-site wine making works at Island Wine Experts in Charlottetown.
Related guides: How to Store and Age Homemade Wine and How to Split a Wine Kit With Friends.