Adding s02

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idiggy

Junior Winemaker
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Hello
Can someone give some advice on adding sulphite
So If I make 19l pails of juice .
After fermentation I can add 1/4tsp ( i have powdered sulphite)
every 3months while bulk aging are you supposed to add another 1/4tsp ?
and at bottling another 1/4 tsp

and are you supposed add 1/4 tsp everytime you rack

Seems like a lot to me .

Thanks
 
I think your thought on the addition schedule as being a lot is accurate.

1/4 tsp is around 1.6 grams per 5 gallons, gives you 50ppm. The legal limit (US) total SO2 is 350ppm. The sensory level can be below that, especially if a lot is free SO2. Bottom line is that I suspect you will be far below that, even when following this rule of thumb.

The biggest influence on the amount of SO2 required is the pH of the wine. I would invest in a pH meter. This rule of thumb (50 ppm) is safe for 3.6-3.7 pH wine. Since the need for SO2 is an exponential curve with acidity, if you have pH lower that 3.6, you can really dial it back. Another thought is the vessel you are storing the wine in and how much oxygen exposure there could be. I made the same wine and stored in a 30 gallon barrel, 30 gallon flex tank and a glass carboy. For every 10 ppm I needed to add to the carboy, I had to add 15 to the flex tank and 20 ppm to the barrel. If you get to the point where you are making a lot of wine, you will want to invest in a Vinmetrica, which will measure the free SO2 and take all the guess work out.

I have also backed off the SO2 additions on high pH wines to half of what is recommended and I have not seen any detrimental effects, but my wine is consumed relatively quickly.
 

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