Did this kill my wine?

[Lornahdune]

I just found the airlock on my nearly-ready-to-bottle apple wine was on the floor near the 5 gal carboy. (The bung with the hole was still attached to the carboy) Some one must have knocked it off in the last week or less. The wine still looks clear. I was prepping to rack it with my all in one pump to another carboy today, when I found the airlock missing.

But now, I'm not sure what I should do. My uneducated, newbie guess is that I should treat it with campden tablets (one per gallon?) and let it sit a few days before I bottle it? But can an expert weigh in on this for me please? I'd hate the idea that I now have 5 gals of vinegar to give away instead of wine. arggg

-l

 

[seth8530]

How about you taste the wine and tell us if it is ok? Easiest test ever.

Also, I do not use campden tablets ( I use Kmeta) but that sounds like an AWFUL lot. Sulfites are good and all, but you will only hurt the wine by overdoing it.

 

[Lornahdune]

a'right Seth, I don't need much encouragement to go try a glass.
Be back in a few...

 

[Lornahdune]

wow! it's REALLY good! So does that mean that no wine-eating bacteria, disease-bug thing leaked into the little air lock hole and is just waiting for me to bottle the batch so it can start multiplying like crazy and.. and..waste my wine?
-l

 

[seth8530]

Pretty much, wine is pretty stable so long as it has the proper ABV, Acid and So2 levels. Also, you must consider that you still had a minimal area for air to get in. The story might have been different if you had a large area of wine exposed to air.. Or perhaps had been stirring and splashing it around for a lot... But for the most part, a week without an airlock on will not kill most wines....

That being said, it is good to check and keep those airlocks full.

 

[JohnT]

Seth, I believe that campden tablets are kmeta in tablet form.

You did the right thing, The worry you should have is two fold.. oxidation and bacterial infestation. The campden will help prevent both.

A well balanced wine is a very hardy thing. It can hold up to a lot more then folks realize.

Also consider the fact that you have a very small surface area of wine exposed to the elements with respect to the total volume of wine.

Although you should not ever do this on purpose, it does not surprise me that the wine is OK.

 

[Lornahdune]

Thanks, I WILL be more careful. After all that work and 6 months of waiting, I would have been devastated to have found it wasted by such a stupid thing. There WAS a grad party in the house a few days before, - I am pretty sure it was related to that. Someone must have knocked it off by mistake.
Have a great day!
-l

 

[seth8530]

Yup, I should have been more clear. Kmeta=Campden, only in powder form. I do not know off the top of my head how much free SO2 one campden tablet provides.

 

[the_rayway]

Hey Seth, It's 1 tab /gallon with Campden tabs. That's why do many people who do 1 gallon batches use them.
Cheers.