Duplin Winery has announced the installation of a new bottling line at its Rose Hill production facility. The winery now has the capability to bottle 9,000 bottles of wine per hour, an increase of 3,000 bottles per hour over the previous line. 

Representatives from the winery said the new bottling line was built in Italy, by GIA, and was delivered in February. It was purchased through Prospero Equipment in New York and shipped by boat in three sections. The three sections each provide specific functions in the bottling process, and it takes several months to program the equipment.

The first section is a mono-block machine that rinses the bottles, fills them first with CO2, then with wine, and vacuum corks the bottle. The second machine applies heat and shrinks the capsules to the bottle. The third part of the machine applies the front and back labels.

In 2018, Duplin produced 1.2 million gallons of wine and sold 500,000 cases. Duplin recently expanded its tank capacity to 1.75 million gallons, and with the increased tank capacity and new bottling line, winery officials expect the firm to surpass last year's record. 

“We are thrilled about this addition and what it means for our yearly production,” said Dave Fussell, co-owner of Duplin Winery. "We have been busy updating our production facility, equipment, our Rose Hill winery, and hope to continue to grow.” 

Duplin Winery is located at 505 N. Sycamore St. in Rose Hill, where tours and tastings take place Monday through Saturday. The winery also operates a retail shop at 4650 U.S. 17 South in North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. 

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