WineXpert OD on SO2

[bovinewines]

I've just learned a valuable lesson...wine is like motorcycles...if you don't feel good...don't mess with them....


So...here's the story....


First....I apparently didn't have my drill whip in securely....it fell out and is now in the wine (this is a Island Mist Blueberry Pinot).


I figured okay...I'll just rack the wine into another carboy. So...I had a clean carboy sitting around....poured some SO2 into it to sanitize...got distracted and started racking....I forgot to pour out the SO2.


<sigh>


Am I doomed? I had just added #2 & #3 packets and was in the process of degassing and was about to add the F-pack when this all occured.


I'm continuing to rack the wine so I can get the wine whip out of the original carboy.


Any thoughts or suggestions before I toss it?Edited by: bovinewines

 

[Wade E]

How much SO2 are we talking about. You might have just added the extra 1/4 tsp that we add when we bulk age or bottle anyway. I think youll be fine unless you really dumped a lot in there. Most commercial wines are sulfited way beyond what we do.

 

[bovinewines]

It was about 24oz of a SO2/Citric Acid blend for sanitizing.....

Could I add a drop or two of hydrogen peroxide to drive it off???


I know that's "illegal" for commercial production....but this ain't commercial (thank goodness!)

 

[Wade E]

Stepping over my realm of knowledge here so hope someone with a lot more knowledge comes in and saves us both. We need Masta. Peter, appleman, or Dean on this one.

 

[bovinewines]

Thanks Wade...I appreciate the lift here.
I figured I would proceed per the instructions before giving up and throwing it all out. What's the worst that can happen? It turn out horrible and I toss it later vs. now...at least I will have given it a shot.


I also happen to run across this and figured I would share:


http://waterhouse.ucdavis.edu/winecomp/so2.htm

 

[Dean]

We need PeterZ or Masta on this one. They are the chemical masters. Don't throw it out yet, but 24 oz of a sanitizing strength solution is a LOT of sulphur. We may be able to neutralize it, but it still might leave a sulphury taste.

 

[Wade E]

I guess that if you want to save this you are going to have to get a free SO2 test kit as you need that to determine how much hydrogen peroxide will be needed to rid the SO2.

 

[bovinewines]

I just so happen to pick up that kit the last time I went to see George...


I'm actually out of pocket for a few days...so once I'm back in the swing of things, I'll give it a test and see where I stand....


On an up note, my Shiraz is doing quite nicely. At least one of them is going right!

 

[Wade E]

Thats a good thing! 1 slip up while we are creating our master pcs. is a lesson learned the hard way. I too have lost 2 batches due to not paying attention. I was doing 2-6 gallon batches of Vintners Harvest wine base wines and switched from campden tabs to K-Meta powder and misread the instructions and put enough sulfite in both batches for about 8 batches when I was first starting making wine. Down the drain they went. they smelled like a super strong batch of sanitizer.

 

[Joseph1]

I agree with your plan to continue with the instructions and not throwing this kit out. You can learn a great deal about winemaking trying to save this one. <?amespace prefix = o ns = "urnchemas-microsoft-comfficeffice" />

You have probably added about 2 teaspoons of metabisulfite in your sanitizing solution. Depending on how long it has been since you prepared the solution and how often it has been used the amount of SO2 could be relatively low.

Before resorting to hydrogen peroxide, I would transfer the wine to the primary, add the F-pack and finings and stir vigorously. When transferring back to the carboy, hold the siphon hose close to the top and let the wine run down the inside of the carboy. This exposure to oxygen will allow some of the free SO2 to bind with the oxygen.

If you have already added the F-pack and finings to the carboy, I would recommend transferring to primary, stirring and transferring back to the carboy. Taste the wine, the F-pack will mask many shortcomings in the wine. You should expect to taste and smell some SO2 at this time. But if it is so much that it curls your toes, transfer back and forth a few more times. This is one of the few times in winemaking that oxygen is your friend.

You are not doomed.

 

[wildridge]

I read somewhere that you can rack the wine over some copper flashing and it might help. I've never tried it though. I made the same mistake as wade with the sulfite powder and misread the directions. I ruined a 5 gallon batch of muscadine. It changed from a bright blush color to a dark nasty brown color. I tried to rid the so2 by heating it up a little and stirring at different times with my mixter rod. It got rid of the smell, but the taste was still bad. I almost cried when I poured it out. 'twas a waste of big, plump, sweet, and juicy wild muscadines.

 

[Wade E]

That will only get rid of H2S. Sulfur smell.

 

[grapeman]

I figure you are in the range of about 350 free SO2 at this point. The test you got may not go that high but give it a try. Like said by Joseph, rack it back and forth a few time - probably giving it a few days between rackings. Use the drill stir device a few times on it. I would figure on bulk aging this one at least a few months with rackings WITHOUT additional k-meta every month. After a while the SO2 levels will get within range of your test. If you bottle it too soon, the S)2 will stay in the bottles. Try to get down to around 100 if possible before bottling and don't give to friends that say they are sulfur sensitive(it probably wouldn't hurt, but just don't give them the popportunity to complain).

 

[masta]

Based on a sanitizing solution made by adding 3 tablespoons of K-meta to 1 gallon of water I came up with these calculations:


128 oz of solution = 9 tsp of K-meta
24 oz of solution = 1.7 tsp of K-meta
1.7 tsp of K-meta = 10.2 grams (10200 mg)
10200 x 57.6\23L = 255 mg/L or ppmof Total SO2
255 ppm x 70% = 178 Free SO2


The tricky part is how much becomes bound and how much is free SO2 and based on what I have read when the amount of free SO2 increases the less can become bound. Typically I use a 50% of the total becomes bound but using 30% this brings the free SO2 added with the sanitizing solution to ~180-200 ppm range. This would be addition the amount already in the batch from the K-meta included in the kit.


If the stirring and splashing doesn't reduce the SO2 to a tolerable level one option might be to make another batch of this and blend the two while omitting the K-meta addition in the new batch.

 

[PeterZ]

I would go with the agitation, rather than hydrogen peroxide. Based on masta's calculations you are only at about twice the level of SO2 in a commercial wine. Not too bad.

 

[bovinewines]

As always...thank you everyone for the great advice.


I think I'll do the agitation and start racking back and forth....I'll probably wait the allotted time for the clearing/settling to happen and then rack at that point...


I'll try a couple of racks back and forth over the span of a couple of weeks...I also thought about the copper thing....maybe I can grab a copper pipe or something and rack through that for the additional exposure....


Will keep notes and let you know how this one turns out.

 

[JWMINNESOTA]

Get another kit, don't add the sulfite's, blend, send to me, I'll let you know how you did!

 

[bovinewines]

Now JW....how did you know that I was just sitting here thinking what would I do with that much Blueberry Pinot Noir considering I've got this small guest bathroom and those new kits coming in after the firest of the year!


Problem solved!

 

[Wade E]

The copper tubing is only for excess sulfur, it will not help with sulfite, completely different problem and do not recommend that. The copper tubing is for excess H2S which is usually caused by yeast strain due to lack of nutrients and typical of of certain strains such as Red star Montrachet which i use but must be accompanied by both nutrient and energizer.

 

[bovinewines]

I thought I would provide an update on this batch. I've pretty much ignored it and just let the lees compact and simply kept an eye on it; tasting ever so often.


Today I racked it off the lees to a fermentation bucket (to sorta help agitate it) and then racked it back to a carboy.


I'm very pleased with how its "mellowing" out. It still has a way to go...but I would guess in two months it'll be ready to drink and bottle!


Thanks to everyone who offered help and suggestions on this one!