Cellar Craft Need advice on tweaking a CC Argentine Malbec kit

[FRANKC]

I'm making a Cellar Craft Showcase Argentine Malbec wine kit. At day 20, the instructions say to add the packet of potassium meta bisulfide (4 gm). I've tested the kit using a Vinmetrica tester, finding that the free sulfite is currently. 34ppm, pH us 3.46, TA is 7.4 g/L. Unless I'm mistaken, that 4gm packet added to the six gallons of the kit would increase the free sulfite level by about 120ppm, to about 154ppm.

I'm planning on oaking this wine in a Hungarian oak barrel, rather than using the packet of Hungarian oak enclosed with the kit. After it comes out of the barrel, it may bulk age in glass for several months before bottling.

I'm aware that free sulifte levels can drop considerably while in a barrel, but the 154ppm seems excessive. I would appreciate your thoughts.

 

[MrKevin]

Frank
My advice would be to follow the directions. I bet after 90 days you will need to add more Potassium meta bisulfide. By the way I do like using the Vinmetrica 300 its awesome. I just tested some of my wine after 3 months and needed to add more Potassium meta bisulfate to get my level around 50. That was after being in a barrel for just 2 weeks.

 

[ibglowin]

If you have not added any sulfite to date then I would say your SO2 analysis is off (way off). Add the package as per instructions. Make sure you have the right package needless to say and that you haven't already added it in by mistake and your looking at the package of SORBATE.

 

[robie]

I agree with Mike (ibglowin), doesn't make sense that the free SO2 would be that high from just what SO2 one gets during fermentation.

I believe one can make a test (calibrated) solution out of a predetermined amount of Kmeta and a specific amount of water, in order to test your measuring methods and device. Maybe Mike can tell us how to do it.

 

[ibglowin]

You can make up a standardized solution easily but dissolved O2 in the water will quickly eat up as much as 50% of the free SO2 in no time at all making any attempt at standardization next to impossible.

See this page on Sulfite Adjustments

 

[FRANKC]

Let me clarify - the free sulfite I measured (repeatedly) with a VINMETRICA is 34ppm. I have not added anything. I'm just speculating that adding 4 gm of Kmeta would push it way up. Are you saying that the kit juice has NO sulfite until you add in the package? And yes I know the difference between sulfite and sorbate.

I haven't made a kit in years. I assumed that, like fresh juice, there is some sulfite already in the juice.

 

[ibglowin]

Since the juice is flash pasteurized before it goes into the sealed bag there is no reason to add sulfite to the juice. Follow the directions and add the package o Sulfite. Much of it (as much as 50%) will get bound up immediately. The rest is your free SO2 to protect the wine down the road during bulk aging and all the way to bottling.

 

[ibglowin]

The ripper titration method the Vinemetrica uses is known for giving higher results than reality (false positive). Its a trade off with ease of use. Don't get too wrapped up in an empirical number with winemaking testing equipment. They all have their own associated error bars.

 

[FRANKC]

Thanks so much for your input!!