FOP - Winemaking

The following pictures and text provide an overview of the stages of making wine at a FOP store.

Step 1 - Retail Section of FOP	Step 2 - Cleaning Carboys
Many FOP's have a section where customers can purchase wine kits and supplies to make their product at home. The customer can also pick their wine kit and carry it to the area where it can be mixed with other ingredients.	Many shop owners clean and sterilize the wine carboys for the customer. The cleaning and sterilizing of carboys is a very important stage and must be done to ensure that there is no bacteria which can spoil the juices from the wine kits.
Step 3 - Mixing the Wine Kit	Step 4 - Fermentation Stage
The customer is responsible for pouring the juice from the wine kit into the primary fermentation vessel. Assistance can be given to help the customer. The customer must also add the appropriate water, ingredients and yeast to initiate the fermentation. Once the customer has mixed the ingredients, the product is tagged and properly sealed and moved into the fermentation area.	The customer's product is stored in a temperature controlled room and left to ferment. Once the fermentation has reached a certain level the product is then "racked" into a secondary fermentor (carboy).
Step 5 - Racking	Step 6 - Filtration
The wine is transferred from a primary carboy to a secondary carboy. The purpose of this stage is to leave any sediment or lees at the bottom of the primary carboy.	The wine is now ready for filtration using a filtration machine. The operator takes the customer's wine and puts it through a filter system. The wine is then transferred into another carboy. In most cases, the wine is filtered, but some customers do not want their wine filtered.
Step 7 - Finished Product
After the wine is filtered it is ready for the customer to come and bottle it. The individual that added the yeast must bottle the wine. The operator calls the customer to tell them that their wine is ready to be bottled.
Step 8 - Corking/Bottling Area
Once the customer has made an appointment to bottle their product, they arrive at the facility and (in some facilities) are able to wash and sanitize their bottles on site. The customer that pitched the yeast must be present to bottle and cork their own product. This is the bottling area of a FOP facility. It contains stainless steel sinks, to wash and clean the bottles, a dripping rack where the bottles are hung to drain excess water, and a corker. The customer can also add shrink wraps and labels in this area.
Step 9 - Packaging the Product	Step 10 - Removal of Product
The customer puts the finished product into boxes and gets ready to remove it from the FOP.	The customer removes the product from the FOP facility and takes it to their home.

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