Cellar / Field guide

Plan bottling without rushing it

Bottle counts are arithmetic. Readiness is a separate decision.

Check the wine, not just the calendar.

Clear appearance does not establish microbiological stability. Before bottling, consider residual sugar, fermentation status, wine chemistry and your stabilization plan. Sweetening a wine can create the conditions for renewed fermentation. An ABV estimate is not a bottling safety test.

Arrange the practical details.

Once the wine is ready, estimate the usable volume after expected losses. Choose compatible bottles and closures, inspect the filling equipment, and prepare a clean working sequence. Label a trial bottle before printing an entire batch of labels.

• Record your stability checks and any specialist advice.
• Count bottles using the volume you will actually fill.
• Keep spare closures and account for small losses.
• Record the bottling date, batch identity and actual bottle count.

The bottle planner shows full bottles and remaining volume. If you have already deducted racking losses, leave its additional loss allowance at zero.