How to approach to so2 free winemaking?

[Geederz]

Hi

There are some So2 free wine out there on the market.
I know santising and good condition grape is very important.
But it seems there are some other techniques these wineries do to avoid So2?
Does anyone know about practical methods they use?

 

[cmason1957]

It is impossible to have sulfite free wine. It is a natural byproduct of the yeast fermentation. There is a winery in Missouri which claims no added sulfites. They use increased alcohol (14-15%), acid based sanitizers. My experience with their wine is be sure to drink it before air the two year mark, it will go downhill very rapidly after that.

 

[Ajmassa]

Sure. My family would do wine from grapes and juice my whole life without ever adding sulphites.
And as cmason said, the wine was consumed before it ever hit 2 yrs.
Without sulphites , making sure the wine is topped up is your biggest friend. The wine would age in bulk from September till around June with 1,maybe 2 rackings, and then bottled. Never spoiled.
I also made a juice batch myself without sulphites added. Without a label I had lost a bottle in the shuffle and found it again Aged 4 yrs. a cab sav juice pail batch. Best bottle of wine I’ve made to date.

 

[balatonwine]

But it seems there are some other techniques these wineries do to avoid So2?
Does anyone know about practical methods they use?

Larger wineries that want to avoid adding SO2 have a lot of specialized equipment starting from fermentation all the way through to bottling that keeps air (i.e. O2) off the wine. Not cost effective for smaller wineries or hobbyists. SO2 is the simple, inexpensive solution for oxidation, and other issues -- SO2 is a very, very useful multipurpose chemical for any winery. Just use it correctly, and only in amounts needed.

 

[Geederz]

- Here we don not want to disscuss about if adding sulfite is needed or not.

- Also when we say no SO2, we mean added external so2 during wine making.

The question is what type of equipment they use to avoide adding extra So2!

i.e. This UV light company claim their device is useful and having to impact on grape juice.
They use this device on grape must before fermentation starts.

What do you think about this device or other equipment you have heard about it.

Article:
http://www.uiv.it/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/bibiliografia -Lorenzini_et_al._OIV-2010_n°124.pdf

Company:
www.surepureinc.com

 

[balatonwine]

What do you think about this device or other equipment you have heard about it.

Company:
www.surepureinc.com

This is just a pasteurizer. It kills microorganisms. But that is only half of the use of SO2. The other have is preventing wine oxidation, which this device will not help with at all. In fact, you definitely want to avoid UV light, in fact all light, on wine later on, which is why many wines meant for aging are bottled into colored, dark glass.

To avoid oxidation, especially for long term aging, you normally want to keep O2 off the wine. Which means special equipment to seal the hole in your barrels, for example, when you top up. And bottling lines that keep the bottles sealed in every step. In smaller scales, one could play CO2, Nitrogen, or Argon into the barrels after top up, and just fill bottles with similar, and then use a vacuum pump to fill the bottle, but there will always be some O2 that will slip in. Which, as others said, that is also fine if you plan to drink the wine within a few years.

 

[Geederz]

Dealing with O2 is much more easier than LAB and other micro organism.
Filling the carboy almost fill and a good sealing will do the job.
Anyway, all wineries sometimes let their wine breath!

The biggest problem with avoiding so2 is spoilage, and biggest problem with using SO2 is its smell!
I really like to use UV next year on grape must.
I think UV should not be used on wine since have some bad effect!

 

[balatonwine]

Dealing with O2 is much more easier than LAB and other micro organism.
Filling the carboy almost fill and a good sealing will do the job.

Sorry, but from experience I don't agree. You are exposing wine to a lot of potential O2 contact wine making. During, racking, for example. There are indeed many steps in the wine making process that can expose wine to O2. I admit I am not so O2 adverse as other wine makers, but I still use SO2 because of this, because it will deal with that little bit of O2 in the head space that exists even when a carby is topped up. And even a little O2 can do some damage to a wine (especially a white wine).

Anyway, all wineries sometimes let their wine breath!

One lets a wine breath when one decants before drinking. Not so much during aging. Breathing and micro-oxygenation through a barrel or flextank as part of the aging process for red wine (but not a white) is not really the same.

The biggest problem with avoiding so2 is spoilage, and biggest problem with using SO2 is its smell!

SO2 smell? Do you mean H2S (rotten egg)? Not the same. SO2, when first added, can produce an acidic aroma, but when used properly, SO2 should not have any long term affects on the aroma of the wine.

One does not avoid SO2 (in the form often of KMeta) specifically to avoid H2S. In fact, I have done spontaneous fermentation using existing yeast on the grapes and still had H2S. You can also try new yeast strains that do not produce H2S at all. I have not tried them. But others here have reported good results.

And each time you rack your wine you are exposing it to all the billions of microorganisms in the air. They will end up in the racked wine. You can not use UV at that stage. How would you prevent spoilage in your wine? To partially answer my own question, the alcohol content will definitely help. But it would be a pity for a small wine maker or hobbyist if an entire carboy spoiled because it lacked that extra little protection S02 could provide.

I really like to use UV next year on grape must.

That is fine. Everyone should make wine in the way the wish. But since UV will kill most everything, and that biochemists are now finding that wine is a very complex beverage with inputs from a vast array of microorganisms, your wine making style will be unique lacking these complex bio-interactions.

 

[JohnT]

I think that a lot of winemakers are overly concerned with O2. O2 (in modest amounts) can be actually beneficial to wine. Most wine contain tannins that are an excellent antioxidant, which will serve to protect the wine from O2 exposure (more so in red wines than in white. Maintaining a proper PH level (and/or SO2 level) also greatly helps.

That being said, what @balatonwine said is correct, you will expose your wine to an untold number of different bacteria each time you rack or even open your carboy. Very few of them, however, can survive in a low PH, high alcohol environment like wine. Still, there are some that can, like acetobacter for example.

So, is it a sure thing that if you rack and not use SO2 your wine will be spoiled? Far from it, but I would not like to run the risk.

Now the use of UV is interesting, but I would be skeptical. I wonder how effective it would be for an opaque, red wine? Also, I would be more worried that certain levels and types of UV can be harmful when exposed to humans. You may be better off by simply saving your money, maintaining a lower level of PH, a higher level of tannins, and taking your chances with the bacteria.

 

[Johnd]

You've certainly received lots of good info on this topic, and while I personally believe that maintaining minimum sulfite levels in finished wine during bulk aging and at bottling time is the best option for ensuring the ongoing protection of your wine, you do have reasonable options available if you choose to produce "no sulfite added" wine.

As already stated, high level sanitation and reduced exposure to oxygen are important during production and storage, along with lower pH levels, and if you think that you'd like to try UV sterilization, you have options there as well. Earlier in life, I had a large saltwater fish aquarium with a reef system, and employed a UV Sterilizer in line to keep it free from bacterium and algae. They're super simple to use in that environment, and I believe you could try it in line in your racking tube, even with red wine. Light is harmful to wine, so I wouldn't run it through this device more than once, perhaps in your tubing as you bottle. Attached is a link to a cheap one I found, you can find many more by searching for "aquarium UV sterilizer".

https://www.marinedepot.com/JBJ_Nan...or_Aquariums-JBJ_Lighting-JB4171-FIUV-vi.html

Good luck with your endeavor..............