greetings to all: this year we've gotten serious. We've got 60 gals of zin
in our new/old barrel. It's the best we've done in years. We've never
sulphited before bottling but now we want to insure a reasonable future for
this . So, how much do we add & how close to bottling time? All help is
greatly appreciated....TIA bobby gavone
--
Fratelli Gavone
"Il Nostro Vino, Piu Non Succhia"
A Chelsea Creek Combustible Beverages company

"bobdrob" wrote in message
...
greetings to all: this year we've gotten serious. We've got 60 gals of zin
in our new/old barrel. It's the best we've done in years. We've never
sulphited before bottling but now we want to insure a reasonable future
for this . So, how much do we add & how close to bottling time?

It isn't really possible to answer that definitively without knowing the pH
of the wine and the current free SO2. Have you added _any_ sulfite along
the way?

Tom S

just campden tabs at the primary; I'll do a test todaay- a regular acid
test? or a simple ph reading w/ litmus strips? We also got a set of
titrets this week , but aren't quite sure when & how to use them.


"Tom S" wrote in message
...

"bobdrob" wrote in message
...
greetings to all: this year we've gotten serious. We've got 60 gals of
zin in our new/old barrel. It's the best we've done in years. We've never
sulphited before bottling but now we want to insure a reasonable future
for this . So, how much do we add & how close to bottling time?

It isn't really possible to answer that definitively without knowing the
pH of the wine and the current free SO2. Have you added _any_ sulfite
along the way?

Tom S

bobdrob wrote:

just campden tabs at the primary; I'll do a test todaay- a regular acid
test? or a simple ph reading w/ litmus strips? We also got a set of
titrets this week , but aren't quite sure when & how to use them.

I have found titrets next to useless for measuring free SO2 in a red wine.
Others claim they can do it by diluting the wine and are confident in their
results.

In my opinion, if you have a substantial chunk of wine, go ahead and spend
$12.00 and send a sample to Vinquiry and have them do an AO test for free
SO2. They will send you free sample bottles if you don't have any.

If you get into doing a lot of SO2 measurements, you can get a setup from
the dealer "Wine Wine and more Wine" If you are aging your wine in a
barrel, you will need to measure your free SO2 at least every couple
months.

"bobdrob" wrote in message
...
just campden tabs at the primary; I'll do a test todaay- a regular acid
test? or a simple ph reading w/ litmus strips?

An acid test will only tell you TA - not pH. Litmus or pH papers are
useless too because they aren't narrow enough range to resolve to 0.1 pH
accuracy. You need a pH meter for that.

We also got a set of
titrets this week , but aren't quite sure when & how to use them.

Personally, I don't care for Titrets. When I want a really good number for
free SO2 I send a sample to a commercial lab. For a pretty good number I do
a Ripper test, which requires a few chemicals.

If you've barrel aged the wine for a year or so it's probably safe to assume
that the free SO2 is zero or close to it. I'd guess that bringing the free
SO2 up to 40 or 50 ppm would do the trick - but you should try it on a small
sample to be sure.

Tom S

When we do these semi monthly tests, what are we looking for, incomplete
malo ferm? Some other physical trait? or a chemical balance for reasons that
will glaze over our eyes & make our heads implode? The zin has a wee bit of
petillance remaining (it's been dissapating over the summer.) Might this be
an SO2 prob?



"Paul E. Lehmann" wrote in message
...
bobdrob wrote:

just campden tabs at the primary; I'll do a test todaay- a regular acid
test? or a simple ph reading w/ litmus strips? We also got a set of
titrets this week , but aren't quite sure when & how to use them.

I have found titrets next to useless for measuring free SO2 in a red wine.
Others claim they can do it by diluting the wine and are confident in
their
results.

In my opinion, if you have a substantial chunk of wine, go ahead and spend
$12.00 and send a sample to Vinquiry and have them do an AO test for free
SO2. They will send you free sample bottles if you don't have any.

If you get into doing a lot of SO2 measurements, you can get a setup from
the dealer "Wine Wine and more Wine" If you are aging your wine in a
barrel, you will need to measure your free SO2 at least every couple
months.

MOre campden tabs? Pot Bisulf powder? another substance? And BTW, what's a
reasonable price for a pH meter?


"Tom S" wrote in message
...

"bobdrob" wrote in message
...
just campden tabs at the primary; I'll do a test todaay- a regular acid
test? or a simple ph reading w/ litmus strips?

An acid test will only tell you TA - not pH. Litmus or pH papers are
useless too because they aren't narrow enough range to resolve to 0.1 pH
accuracy. You need a pH meter for that.

We also got a set of
titrets this week , but aren't quite sure when & how to use them.

Personally, I don't care for Titrets. When I want a really good number
for free SO2 I send a sample to a commercial lab. For a pretty good
number I do a Ripper test, which requires a few chemicals.

If you've barrel aged the wine for a year or so it's probably safe to
assume that the free SO2 is zero or close to it. I'd guess that bringing
the free SO2 up to 40 or 50 ppm would do the trick - but you should try it
on a small sample to be sure.

Tom S

"bobdrob" wrote in message
...
The zin has a wee bit of
petillance remaining (it's been dissapating over the summer.) Might this
be an SO2 prob?

Hasn't the barrel been maintained topped up and bunged tight since ML
finished? That tends to degas wine very effectively because of the suction
created by evaporative loss from the sealed barrel.

Sounds to me like your ML finished rather late - if at all.

Are you _sure_ you want to bottle so soon? One year in a new barrel isn't
very long for a big red wine. Maybe you ought to adjust the free SO2, top
the barrel up and bung it tight for several more months.

Tom S

"bobdrob" wrote in message
...
MOre campden tabs? Pot Bisulf powder? another substance? And BTW, what's a
reasonable price for a pH meter?

Frankly, I wouldn't use Campden tablets in any batch larger than a gallon.
Buy some potassium metabisulfite and use that instead. Be sure to keep it
very well sealed from air exposure. It's very reactive and loses potency
quickly if exposed to air - especially humid air.

I make up a stock solution of 220 grams of fresh potassium metabisulfite
diluted to a liter. 20 ml of that added to a 60 gallon barrel = 10 ppm
added sulfite (approximately).

Tom S

Great! I can get some this week when I pick up our malo culture (if senor
laid-backremembered to order it.) Should we innoculate the barrell ASAP &
will we be able to keep to our time table... We Gavones know that more cask
time would be better, but we're alright with a young vintage alla Paisano.


"Tom S" wrote in message
t...
"bobdrob" wrote in message
...
MOre campden tabs? Pot Bisulf powder? another substance? And BTW, what's
a reasonable price for a pH meter?

Frankly, I wouldn't use Campden tablets in any batch larger than a gallon.
Buy some potassium metabisulfite and use that instead. Be sure to keep it
very well sealed from air exposure. It's very reactive and loses potency
quickly if exposed to air - especially humid air.

I make up a stock solution of 220 grams of fresh potassium metabisulfite
diluted to a liter. 20 ml of that added to a 60 gallon barrel = 10 ppm
added sulfite (approximately).

Tom S

Thanks for all the advice. Special big ups & mad props to Tom S for laying
it out so even a gavone can grok it...

"bobdrob" wrote in message
...
Great! I can get some this week when I pick up our malo culture (if senor
laid-backremembered to order it.) Should we innoculate the barrell ASAP &
will we be able to keep to our time table... We Gavones know that more
cask time would be better, but we're alright with a young vintage alla
Paisano.


"Tom S" wrote in message
t...
"bobdrob" wrote in message
...
MOre campden tabs? Pot Bisulf powder? another substance? And BTW, what's
a reasonable price for a pH meter?

Frankly, I wouldn't use Campden tablets in any batch larger than a
gallon. Buy some potassium metabisulfite and use that instead. Be sure
to keep it very well sealed from air exposure. It's very reactive and
loses potency quickly if exposed to air - especially humid air.

I make up a stock solution of 220 grams of fresh potassium metabisulfite
diluted to a liter. 20 ml of that added to a 60 gallon barrel = 10 ppm
added sulfite (approximately).

Tom S