The Winemaker’s Think Tank: Vol 13- What’s the best way to add sulfite to my wine?
Wine expert testing wine silhouette image
What’s the Winemaker’s Think Tank?
Every Thursday we will post about a few frequently asked questions that our winemaker has answered. If you have a winemaking question you would like to have answered, please email us at support@juicegrape.com and we will try to get into next week’s post. Cheers! 🙂
What’s the best way to add sulfite to my wine?
There are two effective methods of sulfite addition to wine. Campden tablets are small tablets of sulfite that are a pre-measured dose meant to add 25ppm to 5 gallons of wine. The drawback to these tablets is that sometimes they do not dissolve completely. The most effective way to add sulfites into wine is via powdered potassium metabisulfite. Winemaker Magazine offers a sulfite calculator on their website that is very useful in helping a winemaker figure out an exact dosage of sulfites for their wine. To use this calculator, one must know the volume and pH of the wine to be treated. The average rate of application for potassium metabisulfite is ¼ tsp/5 gallons to raise the sulfites by 50ppm. The sulfite calculator is a better option as it will help you find and exact dosage needed for your wine contingent upon the wines’ pH and stability.
We hope this information helps with your winemaking. If you have any follow up questions or winemaking questions in general, please email us at support@juicegrape.com.
The Winemaker’s Think Tank: Vol 12- Common Winemaking Faults and Flaws
What’s the Winemaker’s Think Tank?
Every Thursday we will post about a few frequently asked questions that our winemaker has answered. If you have a winemaking question you would like to have answered, please email us at support@juicegrape.com and we will try to get into next week’s post. Cheers! 🙂
In this week’s Winemaker’s Think Tank we outline the difference between flaws, faults, and how to identify them.
- Flaws
- Flaws are a mistake made in the winemaking process that leads to a property in the wine that is not characteristic of the varietal
- Stylistic Choice vs. Flaw
- Imbalance Flaw
- Acid vs Sugar, Oak Levels, Alcohol Level
- Visual Flaws
- Haze, Sediment, Effervescence, TA Crystals, Floaters, Lack of Color Saturation
- Aroma/Bouquet Flaws
- Lack of Aroma, Non-varietal aroma, Over-oaking
- Faults
- Faults are often a microbial or chemical reaction within the wine in some part of its life that significantly alters a wine, eventually leading to the point of spoilage.
- Oxidation Faults
- Acetaldehyde – oxidation of Ethyl Alcohol smells like sherry, or old apples, browning
- Causes: headspace, low sulfites, poor corks, bacterial contamination
- Acetic Acid – Vinegar
- Causes: Acetaldehyde, Acetobacter bacteria react with ethanol, Fruit Flie
- Ethyl Acetate – Nail Polish Smell
- Oxidation of Acetaldehyde and Acetic Acid
- Causes: headspace and bacterial contamination
- Acetaldehyde – oxidation of Ethyl Alcohol smells like sherry, or old apples, browning
- Sulfur Faults
- Hydrogen Sulfide – Rotten Eggs Smell
Causes: lack of yeast nutrients, yeast stress, sulfur sprays, yeast bi-product, high temps - Sulfur Dioxide – Burnt Match Smell
Causes: over sulfating, wild yeast - Complex Sulfur Faults- Mercaptans, DMS, DES, DMDS, DEDS
Causes: Hydrogen Sulfide reacting with Ethyl Alcohol
- Hydrogen Sulfide – Rotten Eggs Smell
- Microbial Faults
- Brettanomyces – Barnyard, Horse Saddle, Antiseptic Ointment, Band-Aids, Bacon, Clove
- Causes: spoilage yeast cells that are incredibly dangerous and difficult to eliminate. Most often found in contaminated barrels, winery cleanliness, resistant to acid and SO2
- Geranium Taint – Fresh cut geranium leaves
- Causes: Reaction of potassium sorbate with Lactic Acid Bacteria in the presence of Ethyl Alcohol
- Refermentation – Fizzy wine, popped corks
- Causes: Yeast or microbial fermentation of residual sugar
- Brettanomyces – Barnyard, Horse Saddle, Antiseptic Ointment, Band-Aids, Bacon, Clove
- Other Faults
- Cork Taint – Wet basement, wet old newspaper, mildew
- Causes: strain of trichloanisole on cork (cork taint); mold that contacts chlorine and wood
- Heat Damage – Cooked fruit smell, brick red color, similar to oxidation
- Causes: leaving wine in a hot car, in the sun, etc.
- Cork Taint – Wet basement, wet old newspaper, mildew
We hope this information helps with your winemaking. If you have any follow up questions or winemaking questions in general, please email us at support@juicegrape.com.
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