Solutions for too much free SO2

[Jwatson]

All of my wines so far have been reds, so I have yet to filter. I filtered my 1st MM Outback Chardonnay with a whole house filter and vacuum pump setup. I ran sulfite solution thru the setup and filtered the wine. Results were great...crystal clear wine. After I tested the sulfite level, it was a whopping 130 ppm! I did taste the wine. It was quite good, and the sulfite taste was not as near as bad as I thought it would be. I don't, however, want to bottle the wine with that level as my wife may be more sensitive to sulfite.

Questions:
1. Is 130 ppm safe to consume?
2. I have read numerous techniques for reducing sulfite levels, i.e. splash racking, adding H2O2. I am not inclined to do anything drastic as the wine already tastes nice and I don't want to further complicate things. I don't plan on drinking until the summer, so I thought the best course would be just further bulk aging. How much can the free SO2 level drop each month with the wine in a carboy with a bung/airlock setup?
3. Are the any safer ways to reduce sulfite level in wine?

Thanks!

 

[ibglowin]

How did you test for SO2?

 

[Jwatson]

With the Vinmetrica SC-100. I may have not let the filter drain enough.

 

[GreginND]

I would not mess with it! Allowed levels in commercial wine is over 150 ppm and sweet white wines could have as much as 400 ppm allowed. I would never use that much but in terms of 130 being a safe level, you are fine.

The SO2 will diminish over time. Are you in a hurry to bottle it? I would probably age it a bit longer and then give it a good splash racking when you go to bottle it.

Are you sure the wife is sensitive to sulfites and not something else? Dried fruits have over 1000 ppm SO2. Do those bother her? If not, then the problem is not with the sulfites.

If you do have taste-detectable levels in your wine later you can always decant and let it breathe before you drink it.

 

[GreginND]

FYI:

In the US, the law states that
Wines cannot contain more than 350 mg/liter sulfites
Wines with more than 10 mg/liter must have a "Contains Sulfites" warning label
Producers must show levels below 10 mg/liter by analysis to omit the label
Wines must have less than 1 mg/liter to have a label that says "No Sulfites"
This level must be shown by analysis

 

[ShtWine]

GreginND's answer matches my extensive research on the subject. Thanks for the succinct and accurate information. 130ppm is absolutely no problem. I get around all the potential allergy issues by including on my packaging:

" WARNING: CONTAINS SULFITES " and
" ALSO: MAY CONTAIN SIGNIFICANT AMOUNTS OF ALL KNOWN ALLERGENS, CONSUME AT YOUR OWN RISK OF INJURY OR DEATH "

BTW, If someone truly has a sulfite alergy and they drank wine with even 40ppm or less you would need an epi-pen or be in close proximity to a hospital.

 

[Jwatson]

I am definitely in no hurry to bottle and will just let it bulk age longer. Any approximate guess what the sulfite level will be, say, in 3 mos?

Thank you for the prompt, informative feedback.

 

[grapeman]

Let it age a month or two and then use the vacuum to rack it again before bottling. Let the wine splash into the receiving carboy as you rack it. That will bind some more S02. I would check the SO2 level then. It will probably be below 100 ppm and would be perfectly safe to bottle then.

 

[ibglowin]

Bottom line is if you can taste it and or smell it its too high. I agree with Rich, let it sit with an airlock for for a few months then rack once more. Chardonnay's IMHO take at least 9 months to start getting good and 12 months minimum to really hit "open at will"!

 

[Boatboy24]

You could always throw it into a neutral barrel for a few months. That'll drop your SO2 like a rock.

 

[ibglowin]

Like a neutral barrel that has never ever had a red wine in it? Not too many of us have those lying around!

 

[Boatboy24]

Like a neutral barrel that has never ever had a red wine in it? Not too many of us have those lying around!

Well, yeah. There is that.

 

[Jwatson]

Thanks for all the help. I will let it bulk age for 6 more mos and then bottle.

The filter came in a sealed wrapper. Does it really need sulfite solution to be run thru it to sanitize, or is that step to prep the cartridge for filtration.