I found it a little confusing, but this is my 1st wine so I'm probably over analysing everything lol.
This is a totally normal response from beginning winemakers.
I add K-meta at bottling unless I racked a week or so earlier. As
@Handy Turnip said, the general rule is 1/4 tsp K-meta per for 5/6 gallons at each racking.
How long to bulk age? Ask 10 winemakers, you'll get 11 opinions ...
Keep in mind that a lot of us on WMT will disagree with each other, yet each has a valid opinion. There is rarely a single, correct answer to most questions -- answers typically fall in a range. Listen to everyone and make your own choices.
Kits can be bottled according to the manufacturer's directions. If you follow the instructions, the wine will be clear and ready to bottle. I rarely bottle kits on schedule, and will go a month or 2 longer, while some folks bulk age kits for a year. These are all valid choices. My advice -- treat the time frames post-fermentation as minimum values, e.g., "14 days" means "at least 14 days". [during fermentation, ignore the calendar and trust your hydrometer.]
Non-kit wines? These can be bottled when the wine is clear and not dropping sediment. If you degas and use a fining agent such as kieselsol/chitosan? You can bottle in a couple of months if you want.
That said, I bottle whites at the 4 to 6 month mark. Whites generally have shorter lifespans, so I get 'em in the bottle. Same for fruit wines, although some of the heavier fruits (e.g., elderberry) strongly resemble red wines. We have a few members who make only fruit (e.g., non-grape) wines and they bulk age a year or more.
Red wine? If in the carboy with no added oak products? 6 months. With oak products? 9 to 12 months. Barrel aged? 12 months or whenever the next wine is ready to go into the barrel.
I recommend you open a bottle a couple of months after bottling. Take notes on your impressions. Do this every few months, keeping the notes. This will teach you about how wine ages, and give you reasons to let the wines age a bit longer.
Except your first batch. That one will disappear far quicker than you believe. As I said above, this is normal!
