Adding Campden before or after racking?

[skyfire322]

My first batch (kit wine) is just about finished fermenting (currently sitting at 1.020). I have seen that Campden should be added after fermentation, but I was wondering:

Would I need to add one crushed tablet into the fermenter a few hours before racking into the carboy or add it straight to the carboy right before racking?

 

[Johnd]

My first batch (kit wine) is just about finished fermenting (currently sitting at 1.020). I have seen that Campden should be added after fermentation, but I was wondering:

Would I need to add one crushed tablet into the fermenter a few hours before racking into the carboy or add it straight to the carboy right before racking?

If you're using tablets, make sure they are potassium meta. and not sodium meta. Dosage is normally one tablet per gallon, select the appropriate number of tablets, crush, and dissolve completely in a small amount of water. Add the sulfite solution to your target carboy, and rack into it. The racking flow will mix the solution into your wine.

You could add it to your fermenter, but when you stir it in, you'll disturb the sediment on the bottom when you stir it in, and you will either transfer the sediment in your racking, or have to wait for it to settle before racking.

 

[skyfire322]

I guess the next question would be, is it really necessary with a kit wine when I added nutrient or is it more of an insurance policy?

 

[Johnd]

I guess the next question would be, is it really necessary with a kit wine when I added nutrient or is it more of an insurance policy?

If you're using the yeast provided with the kit, you shouldn't need to add nutrients, as the manufacturers do it. If you are changing yeasts, particularly when using a needy yeast, consider supplementing the nutrients already in the kit.

 

[skyfire322]

If you're using the yeast provided with the kit, you shouldn't need to add nutrients, as the manufacturers do it. If you are changing yeasts, particularly when using a needy yeast, consider supplementing the nutrients already in the kit.

Thanks! I ended up using the D80 stain which required a little bit of nutrient.

 

[Arne]

Make sure it is totally done fermenting before you add the campden tabs. If you add them towards the end of the ferment, they can give you some problems with finishing. Arne.

 

[Picard]

so.. similar question... I added crushed campden tablets to my newly racked wine on the top and they aren't dissolving. i didn't think to check prior to doing so. oops. will it eventually dissolve or...??

 

[Johnd]

so.. similar question... I added crushed campden tablets to my newly racked wine on the top and they aren't dissolving. i didn't think to check prior to doing so. oops. will it eventually dissolve or...??

I use powdered, so I can't say for certain, but it seems that they would eventually soften and settle to the bottom, but might need to be stirred into solution.