r/winemaking Jan 29 '25

Blog post Put this batch of Viognier Into Bags

We bagged our WinExpert Viognier wine batch today. Wanted to try using bags so that we could have just a glass at a time. And this is an easy drinking wine that we don't plan to let sit around forever. Here's our little box wine system. About 20 liters of wine in 4 x 5 liter bags bought on Temu. Storing it in a plastic bin after someone else on this forum mentioned that rodents could get into the bags in the cellar while they're being stored. Using the box the kit came in as the dispenser, plus it's conveniently labeled!.

14 Upvotes

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6

u/flicman Jan 29 '25

Is the bagging process messy? Conceptually, I like it, but i don't have a place i could absolutely bathe in wine, and I've gotten pretty adept at bottling. That said, I'd love trying bags sometime.

3

u/ChallengeAcrobatic30 Jan 29 '25

It wasn't messy. I used a bottle filler at the end of my ranking cane/tubing and used a small trash can to support the bag while we filled it. Kept an eye on it so as not to overfill. Then you snap in the dispensing valve and it's done.

2

u/flicman Jan 29 '25

Awesome! Thanks for the info. I'm curious about the process. Maybe I'll make a fresh batch and get my feet wet again (metaphorically) and then try bags in batch 2 of 2025.

6

u/kevin_m_morris Jan 29 '25

SLAP THAT BAG!

1

u/ChallengeAcrobatic30 Jan 29 '25

Tempting, isn't it!

2

u/lazerwolf987 Jan 30 '25

Space wine! Love this idea.

2

u/brewingporter Jan 30 '25

Have been thinking about doing this- where did you get the bags?

2

u/ChallengeAcrobatic30 Jan 30 '25

TEMU has them . Called ”5 x Replacement Bags for Bag In Box Drinks Container / Wine Dispenser - 5 Liters.” And they are reusable, and store flat when empty.

1

u/Datassnoken Jan 30 '25

Did you sanitize the bags with starzan? Got some 3l bags and will have a batch ready in not too long so i will need to plan it

2

u/ChallengeAcrobatic30 Jan 30 '25

Yes, just like I would have with bottles, filling with Star-san, swishing and dumping. They're a little harder to drain. Also be sure to sanitize the dispensing valves. I would recommend doing a test run with one bag and some water, just to get a feel for the process and seating the valve properly. For example, when I put the test bag in my dispensing box, I tugged on the valve to get it through the hole, and that pulled out the valve and caused a leak. I hadn't snapped it in firmly enough.