Sterile filter and Screwcapping Machine

Hello,
Does anyone know of any equipment rental companies, in SF Bay Area, that rent a screw-capping machine and sterile filter equipment? I will buy the filter. I have hit a snag in the bottling process and now may have bottle by hand in the next few months.

Has anyone had any issue(s) with the wine after hand bottling? I have been informed that the process decreases quality.

Thank you in advance.

Informed by whom?

I can’t say as they are friend.
I believe this is their belief but wanted others experiences.

There are a good number off mobile bottlers in the area. Maybe one of them have one on board or can direct you to one. You might even call Jennifer Lamb, Herb Lamb Vineyards, for some guidance/suggestions. She bottles two of her wines under Stelvin and the big dogs get corks.

Try Rutherford Equipment Rental in Napa. I know they rent sterile filtration equipment, not sure about screwcappers. But they might know where to rent one if they don’t have them.

All depends on how you do it. If you have a good process/equipment and attention to detail, there should be no difference. It’s also lower stress because you can’t possibly do as many wines in a day.

Good luck, screw capping by hand can be difficult. There are lower tolerances and much more that can go wrong compared to corks. Hopefully you will have someone on site that has done screw caps many times to help avoid the potential pitfalls.

Boutique mobile bottling, if you can get on his calendar, has ability to do both things you need. He has filter housing and can get you filters if you need them. He comes highly reccomended by many on WB that are ITB.

If this were my commercial product I would stick with commercial grade bottling equipment. Especially as it sounds like you have RS or Malic in the wine so the potential for issues down the road are much greater.

Hello all,
Thank you for the responses. Another friend is making this investment into a screwcapping machine. And will be using his facility to bottle my wine. Regards.

Agree, Joe. I’ve bottled with Kaleb at Boutique many times and he’s always been good. He now has a larger line in addition to his small trailer but the small line is perfect for up to a few hundred cases and it can handle screwcaps and sterile filtering. Bottling with Kaleb again for a short run on Monday morning and then heading around the corner to finish up the rest of the day bottling with Matt from Artisan Mobile Bottling (also highly recommended). Then I think it will be back to Kaleb on his larger line for a couple more days next week!

Totally agree. You should go with someone who has an intimate understanding of the screwcapping equipment, or at least have a veteran helping you out, if you insist on hand bottling. There’s too much risk in trying to wing it, learning from your mistakes.