Removing excess sulfite.

Winemaking Talk - Winemaking Forum

Help Support Winemaking Talk - Winemaking Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

RPh_guy

Yeast Wrangler
Joined
Apr 3, 2020
Messages
24
Reaction score
6
Location
Ohio, USA
I accidentally added way too much sulfite to a Riesling. (Don't Drink and Rack.)

Any thoughts on your preferred method for removing the excess?
I'm on the fence between splash racking or adding a controlled amount of H2O2.

I have an AO kit for measuring sulfite levels, pH meter, etc etc all that good stuff.
 
I accidentally added way too much sulfite to a Riesling. (Don't Drink and Rack.)

Any thoughts on your preferred method for removing the excess?
I'm on the fence between splash racking or adding a controlled amount of H2O2.

I have an AO kit for measuring sulfite levels, pH meter, etc etc all that good stuff.

Depends on how much is too much......
 
hydrogen peroxide. Rule of thumb is for every 10ppm SO2 to be removed add 1 ml per gallon of store bought 3% H2O2
 
I missed a decimal point when calculating the amount, so it's over 300ppm.
OK, that's a lot. Were it me, I'd start off with Hydrogen Peroxide to get down to 100, but not further than that. Why? Because you have a white wine and oxidation is is more concerning to me in a white, as it not only affects the taste / aroma, but the color effects can be dramatic. Getting down to 100 or so will allow you to continue along with your aging "as normal", your SO2 levels will moderate with aging and racking so that you can get into a bottle at the right levels.
Be super careful with the peroxide, go very slow, making small adjustments, creeping up on your target, you don't want to totally knock all of the SO2 in one shot. Good luck with it!!!
 
Apparently it's impossible to buy hydrogen peroxide right now. I guess it'll have to wait.

I hope it doesn't oxidize in the meantime. ;)
 
hydrogen peroxide. Rule of thumb is for every 10ppm SO2 to be removed add 1 ml per gallon of store bought 3% H2O2
This isn't correct.

According to other sources, 0.67mL/ US gallon is appropriate (based on the chemistry), and the AWRI suggest a 10% safety margin, which comes to 0.60mL/US gal of 3% H2O2 to remove 10ppm SO2.

I finally acquired some H2O2 and am ready to give this a go.
 
This isn't correct.

According to other sources, 0.67mL/ US gallon is appropriate (based on the chemistry), and the AWRI suggest a 10% safety margin, which comes to 0.60mL/US gal of 3% H2O2 to remove 10ppm SO2.

I finally acquired some H2O2 and am ready to give this a go.

Please, let us know the results.
 
I accidentally added way too much sulfite to a Riesling. (Don't Drink and Rack.)

Any thoughts on your preferred method for removing the excess?
I'm on the fence between splash racking or adding a controlled amount of H2O2.

I have an AO kit for measuring sulfite levels, pH meter, etc etc all that good stuff.
RPh guy, sorry but I have nothing to give you regarding your sulfite issue, but I am sure the many experienced folks on this site can help. BTW...............whereabouts in Ohio? I live in Knox County...............................................Dizzy
 
Daniel Pambianchi in his book "Techniques In Home Winemaking" recommends 18ml H2O2 per 100 liters (0.18ml/l) of wine to reduce SO2 by 10ppm. This is exactly what dose I used when my Frontenac Blanc/Gris was over sulphited. Worked just fine.
 
= 0.68 mL/gal

Please, let us know the results.
I measured 152ppm free SO2 with my AO kit, and added enough H2O2 to target 40ppm, with a 10% safety margin as the AWRI suggested (very slowly with gentle stirring). After that I let it sit for a couple hours. I couldn't detect any SO2 with my nose at that point so I went ahead with bottling. I'll check it again in a couple weeks and report back.

RPh guy, sorry but I have nothing to give you regarding your sulfite issue, but I am sure the many experienced folks on this site can help. BTW...............whereabouts in Ohio? I live in Knox County...............................................Dizzy
It's all good. I live in a Cleveland suburb.
 

Latest posts

Back
Top