SO2 & Used Oak Barrles

Moe - The powder that is normally used with wines is either potassium meta-bisulfite, or sodium meta-bisulfite. Either can be used to sanitize equipment, etc., but generally pot. meta. is preferred if adding directly to the wine. The active component is sulfite (S03, I believe), but it is usually referred to in winemaking circles as SO2. SO2 by itself is a gas, if I recall correctly from high-school chemistry, but SO2 gas is not used in winemaking (as far as I have ever heard, anyway). Rather, small amounts of meta-bisulfite are used, to provide the necessary sulfite level to discourage wild yeast and bacteria, and to prevent oxidation of the wine.

Doug

Doug, Your statement that SO2 gas is not used in winemaking is accurate so far as home winemakers are concerned, but many small and practically all large commercial wineries use sulfur dioxide gas from pressure cylinders.

that is what I thought!

Hey, all! So when I burn a sulphur stick to gas up my empty barrel, what gas goes in there?

curiously, bobdrob

Sulfur dioxide (SO2). Don't breathe it! Pretty nasty stuff.

Tom S