Public water, chlorine and TCA

[annapolisDan]

Good afternoon everyone.
I gotten to the point where I think I am ready to start making wine from grapes. I've spent many hours doing research and planning for the next harvest.

One of the things that I have come across is the problem that chlorine causes. Specifically, the possibility of cork taint (caused by TCA) when chlorine is used for cleaning. I've even read that municipal water, that almost always includes chlorine, should not be used anywhere in the wine making process. This would even include rinsing your crusher/destemmer or other equipment.

So I'm trying to figure out how to find many gallons of de-chlorinated water just to rinse equipment with. Or, am I taking this to an extreme and I shouldn't worry about it?

Does anyone out there have an opinion?

Thanks,
-Dan

 

[Sirs]

just my opinion mind you but rinsing equipment with city/chlorinated water should be fine if you let it dry good. We have well water here so never have any additives in our water as far as using city water for adding to the wine I probably wouldn't but that's just me. I'd go someplace like Sams club or wally world and buy the 4 or 5 gallon bottles of water there no chlorine in those.

 

[jswordy]

I have well water, too, but if chlorine is the issue you can dechlorinate city water easily by just drawing a few fivers of it, covering them with towels, and letting them sit 24 hours.

 

[Deezil]

I have well water, too, but if chlorine is the issue you can dechlorinate city water easily by just drawing a few fivers of it, covering them with towels, and letting them sit 24 hours.

Indeed! Chlorine will dissipate into the air, thats why swimming pools always smell so much like it - they overcompensate so they worry less / get to be lazy more.

 

[robie]

I have never had a problem when rinsing my equipment with chlorinated city water. Maybe it is the very small amount of chlorine in my city's water, but I don't know.

For actually making kit wine, I know some wine makers use the water from the water dispensing machines at Wal-mart. I just use tap water.

 

[Flem]

I rinse all of my equipment with softened, chlorinated, tap water. I do sanitize after rinsing with K-meta solution. For making kit wines, I add a combination of tap water and jugs of spring water from our local grocery store.

 

[annapolisDan]

Thanks for the responses. I guess what I will do is draw enough water to rinse with a day or so before it's needed. I'll use water right out of the tap to clean with and the rinse with my chlorine free water.

 

[smokegrub]

While I make no recommendations regarding the matter since municipal water differs so widely by city and by one's location on their distribution system, I have always used city water in my winemaking with both fruit and kits. I have experienced no problems. If you want to make an informed decision, prepare two one-gallon batches, both identical except for the water source. Use municipal water in one and non-tap water in the other. Age and compare.

 

[ibglowin]

Here is my usual link to the Use Of Chlorine in the Winery from Purdue University.

I do use municipal water for rinsing, washing things but then I always either let them dry before reuse or I dry them with a towel if I need to use them again right away. If I am reconstituting a kit or making up acidulated water for brix reduction in fresh grapes I use bottled water that has had chlorine removed. Same for yeast hydration.

 

[Dugger]

In the WineMaker magazine "Guide to Wine Kits", Tim Vandergrift addresses the issue of using treated water in making wine from kits or grapes. He says
" ... It's natural to assume that because you can smell chlorine or chloramines in your water supply (the additive is essentially the same thing as household bleach) that it's going to affect the wine. What actually happens is this: all juices in winemaking, be they kits or even fresh grapes, contain sulfite compounds. They're present on all grapes. When added to a solution containing chloride ions (the form the chlorine takes in water) sulfites bind to the ions instantly, forming stable chloride salts such as potassium chloride (KCl) or sodium chloride ( NaCl)".
He adds that these amounts of salts are a "teensy" amount ( about 2 grains in 23 liters) that will have minimal effect and concludes that "there are no worries from municipal water treatment".

Edit - this does not address the issue of TCA, but simply using chlorinated water for making wine.