On 5 Mar, 22:49, Joe Sallustio > wrote:
> >In the future
> > if I wish to keep the wine even longer,say a couple of years or so,do
> > I have to add more sulphite than you are suggesting-would it be better
> > then to add much more sulphite now or add it in smaller doses every 6
> > months.I suppose commercial winemakers have to add a lot of sulphite
> > on bottling as they do not know the date of consumption.
>
> No, the guidlines for sulfite addition are not dependant on wine age;
> if you follow the standard charts based on pH you will be fine as long
> as you have a good closure. *+/- 0.2 pH is not quite accurate enough;
> I would suggest you see if you can find a way to get to at least 0.1pH
> if possible or error with the uncertainty added; ie if you measure 3.4
> pH assume it could be 3.6 pH and add the amount of sulfite needed for
> 3.6 pH.
>
>
>
> > The other point you raise is that it would help to bottle the wine
> > (and keep it cool) to make it safe.I do not really understand why wine
> > bottled is safer than wine in a glass 1 gallon container,unless it is
> > the problem with inadequate closure.
>
> That is what I meant, apolgies. *You need a good closure and need to
> minimize contact with air (oxygen really).
>
> At the moment,the glass container
>
> > has a glass airlock (incidentally,we cannot obtain glass airlocks in
> > England anymore-only plastic which of course are porous to air.Is it
> > possible to obtain them still in the U.S.?) and I am leaving it like
> > that for a couple more months in case of some more fermentation;then I
> > will tightly bung the glass container with sufficient headroom to
> > allow for expansion as the weather warms up,using a rubber bung.
>
> I haven't seen glass airlocks either, plastic is fine as long as you
> trim off the excess sprue. *Sometimes the mold lines are pretty
> prominent, just shave them off and you will be fine. *I have had wines
> under plastic airlock for over 2 years with no issue.

Thanks again Joe.I really appreciate your help.Your idea of erring on
the high pH side is a good one.I do not think that I will have a
problem with too much sulphite,as I seem to be able to ferment well
naturally without adding sulphite initially to the must.
One final point.I am aware that it is good practise to keep wine cool-
otherwise wine would not be traditionally stored in cellars.Also
cellars will have a much more uniform temperature than other storage
areas.My problem is that I do not have any storage space other than in
my garage-not used to keep the car anymore,but full of gardening,wine
and cidermaking equipment.I have thought of buying a cooler,but they
are expensive,unsightly and apparently are not very satisfactory.I am
going to rig up some curtaining to draw across the shelves,since the
sunlight can shine in through the window directly on to the glass
demijohns.However,I do not have any better ideas to keep temperature
fluctuation low.At this time of the year the temperature fluctuates
between 40F and 50F ( If we have a very cold snap,then I tend to put a
heater on to bring the temperature up a little),but later in June-
August,the temperature fluctuates between 60F and 80F.Does this really
matter if one is trying to make good wine?I try to minimise the
possibility of bungs coming out in hot weather,but apart from that why
does my kind of temperature fluctuation harm the maturing wine?
Best regards
michael