Bottling & Labeling Preparation
All wines must be in “bottle ready” condition at the time of our arrival. This includes polish filtration or sterile EK filtration if desired because no in-line pad filtration will be allowed in series to the bottling truck. The filtration available in the bottling truck is an extra measure to assist in trouble free bottling. It is not intended to be the sole filtration of your wine.
The winery is to provide:
8 personnel (for full service bottling and labeling) who are physically able to perform strenuous activity:
1 person to dump bottles on the unscrambling table (2 if using severe tapered bottles)
2 people to capsule bottles at line speed.
2 people to pack the cases and who will be responsible for package appearance.
2 people to label, stamp and palletize the filled wine cases. (1 if using the auto-wrapper)
1 experienced forklift driver.
The winemaker or a selected cellar person who is authorized to make decisions and who knows the location of the necessary bottling supplies, must be present upon our arrival and continuously during the operation of the bottling line. This person will be responsible for accepting the fill heights and label positioning, supervision of winery personnel, wine pumping, hose sanitation and the timely delivery of the wine and bottling supplies to the truck. A forklift suitable for moving the product and supplies to and from the bottling trailer. It may be necessary to drive the forklift on gravel or uneven surfaces.
A continuous water supply of at least 6 gallons per minute at 50 psi to the bottling truck.
Either a 480 volt (30 amps) or 240 volt (60 amps) 3 phase electrical outlet on a dedicated breaker for powering the bottling truck.
6 standard tanks of nitrogen ( or inert gas of your choice) per day for sparging of the bottles and for the wine leveling device. A small liquid nitrogen tank, VGL/dewars, (versus the standard bottles) will significantly reduce the cost of the gas and the down time required for changing tanks.
The truck is equipped with two 30” Millipore code 7 sanitary housings to provide limited filtration and to ensure sterility. The winery will provide the filter cartridges. As a convenience, The Bottle Meister stocks a variety of filter cartridges on the truck (.45 membrane, .50 depth pre filter, and 10 micron bug catchers among others) which will be available for purchase by the winery at our actual cost. If you have a particular filter need, please inform us and allow 1 week for delivery if it’s not in our stock.
The truck is equipped with a wine pump and 100 feet of wine hose. If the truck site exceeds 100 feet from the wine source, the winery will need to supply the extra hose with standard 1 ½” tri-clover fittings.
Any damage to the bottling trailer or the equipment caused by the winery’s personnel or temporary employees or by the forklift etc. will of course be the winery’s responsibility.
The winery should have all of the necessary supplies on the winery premises at least 2 weeks prior to the bottling dates. This includes the glass, corks, capsules, labels and 2 sanitary 5-gallon buckets.
When labeling, wines should be at least 55 degrees Fahrenheit prior to the commencement of bottling. This is necessary to reduce condensation on the bottles, which may interfere with the proper application and adhering of the labels.
We only apply pressure sensitive labels. Both front and back labels can be printed and cut on the same web roll (alternating front and back labels) or on separate webs. These should be wound industry standard #4 (labels face outside of roll with the left edge of label leading off). Please allow at least 1/8thinch of space between labels for electronic sensing. Rolls use a 3-inch core size and must not exceed 14 1/4inches in outside diameter (10 inches for neck labels). Labels should be at least ¾ of an inch tall and 1-½ inches in width but not greater than 6½ inches tall. When having multiple labels for the front or back, the total height of the labels must fit in the 6½ inch restriction. When using a clear film label, we recommend a black identify line printed on the backing paper at the edge of each label for electronic sensing.
Please note that although the machine will apply virtually any size label, you must be aware that the large labels will reveal the imperfections in glass wine bottles, which may cause puckering. For best results, smaller labels are advised and if the bottles are tapered, we recommend separate rolls for the front and back labels.
We have capability for neck labels and full wrap cigar band labels. The label die line must be designed for and fit perfectly at the desired application point on a specific bottle mold. The label will most likely not fit multiple bottle molds.
NO RECYCLED GLASS USAGE. Although these bottles have been sterilized, the mold numbers are not consistent, causing bottle size fluctuation. This may damage the bottling equipment and/or cause excessive glass breakage and excessive down time.
If the rare situation of excessive downtime resulting from poor wine filtration, too low temperature of the wine or the wineries inability to provide glass, corks, foils or labels on a timely basis, a $400 per hour downtime fee may be imposed. However, The Bottle Meister will reimburse the winery for up to 4 hours of bottling line labor expense, at up to $12.50/hr per worker, if there is excessive downtime due to mechanical failure of our equipment which is not caused by winery personnel.
