Re: To sulfite or not to sulfite, that is the question

Ok, this may fly in the face of conventional wisdome, but I have to ask

> this question. Since I started making wine, I have always added sulfites > to keep oxidation down and protect the wine. I have never made a wine > without sulfites. But, I recently had a wine tasting with a friend of > mine who ONLY addes some sulfites to the must before fermentation (to > "kill wild yeasts") and never adds any later. His wines are always > terrific. His wines have a depth and flavor that surpasses most of my > wines. I wonder if that extra bit of oxidation he gets actually helps to > smooth out his wines. Ok, so some questions. . . . > > Does anyone have experience with fruit wines with AND without sulfites > that could comment on this? In fruits other than grape, how much damage, > or is it beneficial, to have some oxidation? Are there any studies that > show sulfites conclusively add to the lifetime of a wine in the bottle? > > Thanks for your input . . . > > Greg

Well, if you ferment the wine to some significant alcohol level such as

12.3% ABV or higher, the wine will generally preserve itself if well kept and sealed. The sulfites at this % and higher are more of a precaution than not.

I personally like to feed my wines gently until they no longer ferment and then feed a little bit more to desired sweetness, then my wine gets stored in bulk for more than a year. I know its still chancy that I might have a bottle restart fermentation in the bottle, but in 12 years I haven't had it happen yet. I try to avoid sorbates because they degrade the wine over time.

It also helps that I like stronger wines. My wines typically range between

13-15% alcohol for my dry wines, and up to even 18% for some of my sweeter wines, especially the Bing Cherry Wine I make for my wife.
Reply to
Scot Mc Pherson
Loading thread data ...

My standard practice, if I add sulfite at all, is to add 100 ppm at the outset. I add the yeast 12-24 hours later, and add no more sulfite, even when bottling.

The grape juices I buy from California (Riesling, Chardonnay, etc.) have had 100 ppm of sulfite added. I add no more sulfite to them.

If I'm making a fruit wine that involves boiling the berries to burst them (e.g., raspberries), I use no sulfites at all, even when bottling. Never had a problem with doing it that way.

I usually consume those wines within two or three years.

vince norris

Reply to
vincent p. norris

I got to wondering about that. Maybe he uses such a heavy dose at the outset that there remains enough free SO2 to amount to a normal level after fermentation. Is that possible?

Tom S

Reply to
Tom S

Seems unlikely though. Firstly, if the SO2 was really that high then the yeast would have a hard time getting going and secondly, almost all of it would surely be "blwon off" during fermentation itself.

I can't quote any studies but I've read plenty of accounts of unsulfited wine losing fruit and oxidising (even in bottle) very early, especially if experiencing warm temperatures. Without a direct comparison (control) it's hard to definitively argue the point though

- Jack's advice to split the batach and sulphite one and not the other is a good way to go IMO. Doing this with only one sulphite does (at bottling for e.g.) would give the most conclusive results I believe because SO2 can influence the way a wine develops during ageing.

I do think that the use of SO2 has a more marked effect on wine development than most of us are prepared to acknowledge (admit!?) - and that's even within the common (*in*excessive) molecular ranges.

As to depth of flavour, I think that's more down to winemaking methods than anything else.

Ben

Reply to
Ben Rotter

I've only made 2 batches of fruit wine so far, but I have not added any sulfite to either batch and I've had no problems.

Reply to
Bob C

There's a lot of terrific advice in the previous posts. As someone who is relatively new to this hobby (only into my third year), I am using sulfites according to what Jack suggests on his site as well as what others say on their sites and in the books I've read. Also, there is a winery in my hometown which has been making fruit wines for almost 20 years (they just expanded) and they use sulfites (says so on the bottles). However, try Jack's suggestion and see....

I'm experimenting with "enhancing flavor" right now, and there are soooo many variables in making a wine that I really don't believe "using sulfites or not" is going to make or break a wine. As a long-time gardener, I suspect the fruit you use can affect the taste of the wine the most, after tasting the differences in fruit and veges over the years depending on your growing season. Having said that though, I believe you, the winemaker, can enhance your wine depending on your winemaking methods, what yeast you use, use of oak chips.... Get him to share his methods.... Darlene

Reply to
Darlene

Andrew, thank you for this information. I put too much Pot Meta into a batch of Char last year. The free SO2 finally is down to 25 ppm, but the wine has a burning taste. Could this be acetaldehyde? Is there any way to get rid of acetaldehyde? Any way to test for it? Would filtering (.5 micron) help? Any other suggestions?

At least I'm not going to make that mistake again.

Thanks, John Henderson

Reply to
John Henderson

Andrew,

Thanks for the excellent info. Do you have a reference for the AWRI research?

Thanks, Ben

Reply to
Ben Rotter

I can't find it right now - as all my copies of Australian Journal of Grape and Wine Research are in a box somewhere. However, if you go to the asvo.com.au website, and look for AJGWR, it will be somewhere in the abstracts (I think it was 2001, but could be wrong).

Cheers,

Reply to
Andrew L Drumm

DrinksForum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.