Sulfite at secondary?

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.

Spikedlemon

Junior Member
Joined
Feb 8, 2016
Messages
290
Reaction score
57
It's interesting to see different methods and slightly different directions.

For the juice I got from a local vinyard: they recommended sulfiting 50ppm as soon as I rack to secondary.
While most kits don't recommend it until after racking out of secondary.

Any plus/minus to either method?
I could see the early addition of sulfites would help protect the wine from any extra headspace in secondary.
 
A 'secondary' with a kit IS NOT the same as a 'secondary fermentation' with raw juice.

The secondary fermentation means MLF.
In kits 'secondary' just means transferring the liquid to a more air tight vessel.
 
A 'secondary' with a kit IS NOT the same as a 'secondary fermentation' with raw juice.

The secondary fermentation means MLF.
In kits 'secondary' just means transferring the liquid to a more air tight vessel.

Was for a Sauvingnon Blanc - no MLF.

They recommended sulfate after transferring out of the primary fermentation bucket when wine was <1.004 SG
 
Could they have misspoke or you misunderstood? Unless I had a good explanation for that process I'd feel uncomfortable doing it before my wine femented to dry. Note, I'm not saying you shouldn't.
 
Went back to re-read the instructions they gave. It is as I stated except at <1.000SG (not 1.004 as previously noted)
 
Went back to re-read the instructions they gave. It is as I stated except at <1.000SG (not 1.004 as previously noted)

Sounds to me like they are doing it to inhibit mlf. I prefer to wait until primary is done using small scale hydrometer eyes and ears, cool it good, wait a week or so, them meta to inhibit mlf.
 
Went back to re-read the instructions they gave. It is as I stated except at <1.000SG (not 1.004 as previously noted)

That makes more sense. I'd add that the SG should go unchanged for a few days as well. You want to be sure it is done fermenting before you add the sulfite.
 

Latest posts

Back
Top