A filling element includes a filling-element housing and a liquid-carrying duct formed therein that ends in an opening for discharging liquid product into a container. A liquid valve controls flow through the duct. During filling, a return-gas tube extends into the container's interior. An actuator uses the gas tube as a valve tappet to open and close the liquid valve. As it moves the gas tube up and down, the actuator simultaneously controls a first control-valve that controls flow between the return-gas tube and a gas-chamber. The gas chamber is configured for conducting away return gas forced out of the container's interior by incoming filling product during filling thereof, for imposing a filling pressure in the container's interior, for flushing said container's interior with a flushing gas, or for evacuating the container's interior.

A method for filling a container with spirit or wine includes using a valve to control flow of filling material into a container sealed against a plant from. Once the container has been filled, and while the valve is closed, pressurized Trinox gas drives surplus fluid out of the container. A Trinox gas path through which the gas flows passes through a bellows and opens into a head space of the container.

An apparatus for filling differently sized containers with fluid includes a filling head having a fluid holding area. At least one multi-container filling nozzle connected to the filling head, wherein at least two containers with differently-sized openings are fillable with a quantity of fluid from the fluid holding area without changing the multi-container filling nozzle. Related methods and devices for filing containers with differently-sized openings with fluid without changing a fluid nozzle are also disclosed.