When is it best NOT to sulfite?

[Bramble]

After a while I get myself confused; on one hand I think it is a good idea to sulfite when racking... on the other hand, I recall reading that it is better not to sulfite in the secondary(?) as one doesn't want to kill the hardworking yeast ....

Do you sulfite at every racking or are there times when you pass? Are there specfic NO SULFITE addition periods?

 

[salcoco]

follow this sequence always worked for me regardless of source fruit or grapes.
complete ferment
rack
rack at three days add K-meta, clarifiers and or sorbate
rack three weeks wine should be clear
rack three months add k-meta
add every three months if bulk aging
add k-meta just before bottling.

 

[Bramble]

Hummm....
so you expect the wine to finish fermenting in 3 days, at which time you
add your sulfite (plus alpha), then
rack at 3 weeks (without sulfite)
go forward by adding sulfite every 3 months of bulk aging, then
sulfite one last time before bottling.

Is this correct?

 

[Johnd]

Hummm....
so you expect the wine to finish fermenting in 3 days, at which time you
add your sulfite (plus alpha), then
rack at 3 weeks (without sulfite)
go forward by adding sulfite every 3 months of bulk aging, then
sulfite one last time before bottling.

Is this correct?

You mentioned “alpha”, and I’m assuming you mean adding Enoferm Alpha malolactic bacteria and sulfite at the same time. When I’m conducting MLF on a wine, no sulfite additions are made until it’s finished chewing through the malic acid.

 

[Bramble]

sorry - my bad telegraphic English
here, "plus alpha" just meant et cetra
so sugar,acid, enzymes what have you.
no MLF on this wine.