max384
Junior
- Joined
- Oct 7, 2014
- Messages
- 9
- Reaction score
- 1
I am soon ready to bottle my first batches of wine. I have 42 gallons in total. They were all made from juice from my local homebrew shop. I have:
6 gal Pinot Noir (unoaked)
6 gal Pinot Noir (oaked)
6 gal Cabernet Sauvignon
6 gal Sangiovese
6 gal Merlot
6 gal Pinot Grigio
6 gal Chardonnay
They're all dry wines (FG under 1.000), with no plans to sweeten. They're all cleared nicely, and they taste good to me. They've been in Better Bottle carboys for about 8 months now. I wanted to leave them closer to a year, but I'm going to be moving soon, and I'd rather bottle them than risk oxidation with the sloshing around in a moving truck.
Anyhow, I'm not clear on whether I should be using potassium metabisulfite or sorbate. I used potassium metabisulfite initially prior to adding my yeast, and nothing since then, with two rackings done in that time.
Because there is still a light layer of lees on the bottom of the carboys, I plan to rack them again just prior to bottling (like bottling day), since I'll be bottling with a racking cane and bottle filler, and will likely stir up the lees. Should I add the metabisulfite/sorbate when I rack? Should I add it several days before bottling?
I've been homebrewing for about five years now, but this winemaking stuff is all new to me!
Thanks for the help!
6 gal Pinot Noir (unoaked)
6 gal Pinot Noir (oaked)
6 gal Cabernet Sauvignon
6 gal Sangiovese
6 gal Merlot
6 gal Pinot Grigio
6 gal Chardonnay
They're all dry wines (FG under 1.000), with no plans to sweeten. They're all cleared nicely, and they taste good to me. They've been in Better Bottle carboys for about 8 months now. I wanted to leave them closer to a year, but I'm going to be moving soon, and I'd rather bottle them than risk oxidation with the sloshing around in a moving truck.
Anyhow, I'm not clear on whether I should be using potassium metabisulfite or sorbate. I used potassium metabisulfite initially prior to adding my yeast, and nothing since then, with two rackings done in that time.
Because there is still a light layer of lees on the bottom of the carboys, I plan to rack them again just prior to bottling (like bottling day), since I'll be bottling with a racking cane and bottle filler, and will likely stir up the lees. Should I add the metabisulfite/sorbate when I rack? Should I add it several days before bottling?
I've been homebrewing for about five years now, but this winemaking stuff is all new to me!
Thanks for the help!