Did I Just Turn my Wine Into a Sanitizing Solution?

Hey guys,

I have a question about k-meta dosage. Approximately how much k-meta should I be adding to my wine to keep strange things from happening? Is it about a 1/8-1/4 tsp per five gallons? If it is then I screwed up. For some reason I was sure I read somewhere that you added 1/8-1/4 tsp per gallon so I went ahead and added 1/4 tsp to a gallon of peach wine that I was stabilizing/clearing.

This is only my second batch of wine (My first was a California Red - Prestige kit that is going along very well) so I'm not familiar with all of these pH and SO2ppm details. Did I just turn my wine into a tasty sanitizing solution or will I be alright in the end? I plan(ned) on bulking it for a while.

I've seen all kinda of answers for this question, Best thing is to read the bottle it came in. Mine calls for 1/8 per gal.
http://www.winemakingtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=15580

I THINK the answer is....it depends.

For initially shocking the wild yeasts and bacteria you might be OK. But if it is for the additions every 3 to 4 months, I think you over did it.
I have always just added 1/4 tsp per 6 gallons every 3 to 4 months. I have used the same amount for initial shock too for wild grapes, but I have only done that once. So I'm not a pro by any means. I'm sure someone will chime in soon.

How does it taste now. What stage are you in? Is fermentation complete or just starting.

My first batch was a peach wine, and i accidentally did the same thing.

3tsp in what turned out to be 12 gallons. Roughly 1/4tsp per gallon.

I had pitched yeast twice before i realized the so2 levels were too high for any action so I splash racked it back and forth about 10 times a day for two or three days - until i woke up to fermentation activity. I held the racking hose about 6 inches off the level of the wine in the receiving carboy to get it agitated really good - moved it up as the level rose. Word to the wise - keep your nose clear of the carboy mouth while racking. Go in the garage, open a window or a door or something - there will be a lot of gas escaping and it will give you a headache, atleast.

And it took off. Tastes fine now, 14 months later. I waited like 6 months before i added any more sulfite, because of the initial overdose, but its great now.

Edit: Just noticed the "stabilizing/clearing" part of your post. With this in mind, splash racking might not be the best idea but might be your only option if you dont have access to a vacuum pump or something of the sort. In my case, it was pre-fermentation so the oxygen wasnt a bad thing, but in your case you dont want to oxidize your wine so something like a vacuum pump would have better results. The bolded portion would still hold true, however.

Yes, I had just stabilized and it is clearing now. I was going to say, all that splash racking probably wouldn't be a good idea! Do you think some of the SO2 would vaporize over time if I let it bulk age at least 6 months? I may have to invest in a vacuum. Haven't tasted since the overdose. I guess that will teach me.

It likely will never be good. I bottled a batch when I first started that got 1 campden per bottle by mistake and it still is nasty 10 years later.

If you let it age for about 6 months, it could turn out alright, but whatever you do, don't bottle it right away or it will likely be as I said at the beginning and remain nasty stuff for a very, very long time.

Vacuum degassing might work. Another option is making another batch of the same and blend them together.

I agree, I wouldn't bottle it for a long time. I would give it some time - rack every 3 months don't add any more k-meta to it. Might want to invest in an SO2 test kit to monitor it.

What I meant is this if you can vacuum it at a high enough vacuum it will boil/bubble. This might help draw out the SO2 without adding oxygen. Not sure but it would be worth trying.

I will just have to let it age in the carboy then for quite some time. I was reading in another topic and I was wondering if putting copper in the wine would work for my case?

Oh well, unfortunately this is one way to learn.

No, the copper is to tie up hydrogen sulfide(rotten egg smell), not Sulfur dioxide- two different molecules.