How much sorbate and campden to add to secondary?

[wine_fan]

I have read conflicting numbers so I am planning on adding 2 campden tablets now then two more when I rack again. This is a 5 gallon batch of wine. Does 2.5 teaspoons of sorbate sound right when I rack to my second carboy for aging?

 

[jamesngalveston]

1 campden tablet for each gallon of wine.
sorbate according to mfg instructions.....

 

[Turock]

There is no need to add sorbate until the wine is clear and ready to bottle. At bottling time, and only if you sweeten, add 1/2 tsp. per gallon.

 

[Boatboy24]

There is no need to add sorbate until the wine is clear and ready to bottle. At bottling time, and only if you sweeten, add 1/2 tsp. per gallon.

And you don't want any camden unless the wine is done fermenting.

 

[Lizerdking]

Rack to secondary.

Wait for ferm to finish.

Add 1 camden per gallon

If backsweetening, add 1/2 tsp sorbate per gallon.

Degas, it'll mix in chemicals.

Wait for clearing.

Rerack and if sweetening, now is the time, should at least be a couple weeks since adding chemicals before sweetening.

Wait for more clearing, rerack as many times necessary to get clear wine, if not clearing check for gas still in wine, flat wine clears faster.

If it's going to be in the carboy for 3+months clearing/aging, add another camden or two every few months.

Bottle from a fresh racked carboy to prevent mixing in sediment into your bottles.

 

[wine_fan]

Thanks for answering my question. I think the only thing I'm confused about now is the campden. I'm doing two secondaries. I transferred to the first one last weekend at a SG 1.000 and the wine appears to be still fermenting -- so no campden or sorbate yet. When it finally stops bubbling I should add 5 campden tablets right? I'm going to let it sit in the first secondary for a few more weeks until the wine starts to clear then re-rack to a second secondary for aging. Do I add more campden again?? After long term aging I'll add the sorbate and backsweeten a few days before I bottle. It just seems like a lot of campden if I add to my first and second secondary.

I did use campden 24 hours prior to pitching my yeast.

 

[Scott]

Will just need to add campden after sg is same for 3 days to show finished fermentation. Then degass and add 1 campden per gallon, and then wait until clear then can rack off lees and will only need to add more campden every 3 months or so if bulk aging. There are tests that can be ran to see if more or less is needed, not but the above is just a general approach.
Good Luck

 

[Lizerdking]

Will just need to add campden after sg is same for 3 days to show finished fermentation. Then degass and add 1 campden per gallon, and then wait until clear then can rack off lees and will only need to add more campden every 3 months or so if bulk aging. There are tests that can be ran to see if more or less is needed, not but the above is just a general approach.
Good Luck

^ This.


Camden doesn't get racked off, but rather breaks down over time. If you add it when you degas it'll be there for a long while, don't worry about adding more unless the wine sits for a few months. Adding more earlier will just up the sulphate content of your wine, it won't really harm it much unless you get too crazy with it, but there's no reason to.

If the wine sits for a few months after the post ferm addition of camden go ahead and add a little more, doesn't need to be 5 tablets, just a couple will be fine.

 

[Turock]

Yes--don't add 1 campden per gallon--that's way too much. Most of the sulphite you used at the primary will all be bound and very little free SO2 will be available. Only free SO2 protects the wine. 1 tab is about 50 PPM of sulphite. Add one at the first racking, and then in a few months, use the powdered meta and add 1/8 to 1/4 tsp per carboy. But the only way to know how much to add is thru SO2 testing and knowing the PH of the wine.