Preservatives are an important part of wine making. Don't worry that
adding 'preservatives' to your home-made wine. The thing we most
often recommend is sulfite, and it occurs naturally in small amounts during
fermentation. Sulfites are your friend. Not only do they keep
wine from developing infections like film yeast, mould, and acetobacter
(vinegar bacteria), they also keep the
wine from oxidizing. Without the use of sulfites you have to be terrifically
careful to keep all of your equipment very sanitary and you still have
to drink your wine up as quickly as possible before it spoils. Cleaners
and sanitizes are not the same as stabilizers. |
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Use to increase the aging life
of WinExpert wine kits by adding only 1/4 teaspoon to the full 6 gallons
during the final racking. When used in place of CampdenTablets for
sulfite additions to wine, 1/4 tsp per 5 gallons which yields 40-45 ppm.
Dissolve in a small amount
of cold water then stir into wine thoroughly. To make a 25% cleaning
solution, dissolve 8 teaspoons into 1 gallon of cold water. Hazard
classification is Irritant and will provoke allergic reaction in hypersensitive
individuals. Individuals with asthma or emphysema should not breathe
the dust or sulfur dioxide gas from the prepared solution. The sulphite
content of wine can be determined with a
Titrets sulfite titration kit. |
Stable
salt of sorbic acid derived from the berries of the mountain ash tree.
Prevents renewed fermentation in sweet wines and inhibits reproduction
of mould and yeast. Do not add until all fermentation is finished
and the wine is clear and stable. Dissolve 1-1/2 teaspoons of Sorbate
per 5-6 gallons of wine, in cool water and then stir in thoroughly.
Must not be added until all fermentation has ceased. Sorbate present
during malolactic fermentation will be converted to hexanedienol (geraniol),
a compound with the strong odor of geraniums. |
Sodium
Metabisulphite tables used to suppress unwanted bacteria and wild yeast
prior to fermentation and to stabilize wine during racking. Each
pre-measured tablet equals 1/3 oz (10 gr.). For every gallon of wine
completely crush one or two tablets. Dissolve in a small amount of cold
water then stir into wine thoroughly. This
sodium source of metabisulfite is not recommended because of possible flavor
changes in wine. The US government currently bans the use of sodium
metabisulfite in all wines made in or imported into the country due to
health concerns over sodium in wine. A much better choice would be
potassium
metabisulfite. |
WINE
CONDITIONER
One
ounce per gallon is recommended if you want a slightly less dry wine.
Two ounces per gallon will make a semi-sweet wine. We recommend that
you start with 1 to 1½ oz per gallon. You can always
add more if you want it sweeter. You must add potassium sorbate to
your wine when using conditioner. Wait at least 7 days after adding
wine conditioner before bottling.
Sweetener and stabilizer used to adjust sweetness of wine and mead prior
to bottling. |
