|
|
|
|
Ascorbic acid as an anti-oxidant?
> (evilpaul13) wrote:
> What is the general consensus on an addition of vitamin C to act as a
> preservative in wine? (I'm not talking about replacing sulfur dioxide,
> just complementing it.)
> "Negodki" > wrote:
> According to Presque Isle, "Results are inconsistent and we can't
> recommend it. It is often even less effective if used in combination
> with SO2. Its best use is in the treatment of wine that has had some
> H2S progress to disulfides. Using .25 grams per gallon will cause
> disulfides to revert back to mercaptans, albeit slowly, which can then
> be dealt with using copper or boecksin."
"Andrew L Drumm" > wrote:
> To agree with others - this advice regarding combination with SO2 is
> absolute BS. ALWAYS use SO2 with ascorbic. Ascorbic works fine for about 6
> months to a year, then it's bad. If your wine will be drunk in this
period,
> then ascorbic does very well as an antioxidant, probably better than SO2.
> After this, things go very bad very fast, as oxidation of ascorbic
produces
> peroxide, which also scavenges your SO2, so oxidation of your wine
> accelerates! I've never heard of it used to fix disulphides - it might
work,
> but your best approach is to knock any H2S on the head with copper before
it
> has a chance to go to disulphide.
It's bad form to describe a dissenting opinion as "BS", absolute or
otherwise. Presque Isle is a reputable supplier of winemaking equipment who
have been in business since 1964. They are also a Pennsylvania bonded winery
with considerable experience. Their owners and staff have impressive
credentials and a vast array of knowledge and experience. I respect and
value their opinion as much as any member of this newsgroup.
You may have had different experience than Presque Isle with ascorbic acid,
and I'm equally interested in hearing your experiences and opinion. It's
also possible the PI is in error in this instance, or that there is a
typographical error or hiatus in the text. But denigrating another source,
especially a respected source, is unnecessary and offensive.
Something which "works fine for about 6 months to a year, then ... produces
peroxide, which also scavenges your SO2, so oxidation of your wine
accelerates" doesn't sound like something I would wish to use. Even if I
_intended_ to drink the wine within that short time period, the thought of
it being ruined if I did not is quite unattractive.
Obviously it is preferable to eliminate an H2S problem before it progresses
to disulphide, and no one has recommended that one wait until this stage.
But sometimes the best efforts of mice and men fail, and then a solution
must be found. PI has suggested one, and I have quoted them. You are free to
ignore their advice.
One could make a similar statement about your (abbreviated) copper solution,
e.g. "your best approach is to avoid H2S problems in the first place" ---
good advice, but hardly helpful to someone who has not done so.
|