If one end of the crate rests on a block of wood, the empty bottles will be held on a slant, and the angle makes filling easier. Wine is always exposed to a significant amount of air when the bottle is filled, and a bottle filler of some kind should be used when bottling to reduce this oxidation. Most home winemakers syphon the wine into the bottles with a piece of clear plastic hose fitted with a plastic wand type bottle filler. A simple bottle filler has a small valve on the end of a rigid plastic tube. The plastic tube is placed in the empty bottle, and the valve opens when it contacts the bottom of the bottle.
Wine begins to flow when the valve opens, and the bottle is filled from the bottom.
Little splashing occurs when filling is done slowly, and wine oxidation is held to a minimum. Small, two or three-spout gravity type bottle fillers specifically designed for home winemakers can be purchased for about one hundred dollars, and these fillers are very convenient moderate quantities of wine are made. Gravity fillers are much faster than wand type fillers, and smaller commercial wineries often use larger, multiple spout gravity fillers. A gravity filler consists of a small tank to hold the wine, a float valve assembly that keeps the wine in the tank at a constant level and filler spouts. Tanks on small, two and three-spout machines can be filled by siphoning with large diameter tubing.