Salt?

[Wannabe]

I've been doing a lot of surfing looking at recipes lately. I have come across a couple of them that call for a small amount of salt, ie 1 tsp per 6 gallon. Since most recipes do not call for it, I know it's not necessary. Anyone have any thoughts on what it might be for or what it might do to wine. Generally it enhances things so I'm assuming that would be what it would be the intent. Just curious. Any ideas?

 

[Runningwolf]

Salt in cooking wine inhibits the growth of the microorganisms that produce acetic acid. This will preserve a bottle of cooking wine, which may be opened and used occasionally over a long period of time.

Cooking wines are convenient for cooks who use wine as an ingredient for cooking only rarely. However, they are not widely used by professional chefs, as they believe the added preservative significantly lowers the quality of the wine and subsequently the food made with that wine. Most professional chefs prefer to use inexpensive but drinkable wine for cooking.

 

[Minnesotamaker]

The only instance of salt in a wine recipe that I've come across is when egg white is being used for fining. The salt is added to the egg white and mixed well before adding to the finished wine. I think the salt is supposed to break up the globbiness of the egg white and make it more "liquid". If salt is called for in the recipe, could it be for the same reason? To break up or break down something?

In cooking, salt is often added to extract water from fruits or vegatables. Salting cucumbers will pull some of the moisture out of the cells and will make the cukes "wilty". The salted juice is usually discarded though before the cukes are used in the recipe.

 

[fifthhorsm]

salt

i've found numerous references to adding a small amount of salt. i've been doing it off and on for about 30 years. this isn't like in cooking wines there so much salt is added so as to make the wine undrinkable and no longer under the heavy control and taxes of the fed's. salt is a flavor inhancer and this is all it does in the wine.... like in cooking most food is rather flavorless without at least some salt. about a teaspoon per five gallons is plenty and does alot to improve and bring out the flavor of fruit wines.
mike

 

[Wade E]

Ive never read or heard about this, maybe a reason to use Na Meta after all huh!