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(pp) wrote:
> I was at a talk once by a guy who's a chemist and owns a store that
> sells all the fancy lab equipment to wineries. He said that the
> chromatography paper can only show malic spot when it's above certain,
> still significant concentration - don't remember the exact number. The
> rule of thumb he recommended was to wait for a couple of weeks after
> the spot first disappeared from the paper and then rack and sulfite.

That's true. Paper chromatography indicates malic acid concentrations
above about 100 mg/l. Wines may continue to undergo MLF over 30 mg/l
without showing any malic spot on the paper. Paper chromatography
should not be considered a quantitative test, only a qualitative test.
I agree with this chemists recommendations: wait a little before
sulphiting.

Ben

Improved Winemaking
http://members.tripod.com/~BRotter/MLF.htm