Tom & Ed, thanks for you informative comments. I ran this batch through a
mild extended maceration. So, i think it's going to take a few bottle years
for the tannins to mellow. It is extremely interesting to see how
commercial practises differ from what the typical amateur will do, following
guidance from literature rather than experience.

Anyhow, so long as my wine is ok at 35ppm free until i bottle, i'm happy.
As that event is still nearly two years away (after stainless steel and
barrel aging), i'm not sure what the pre-bottling structure will turn out to
be like. If the tannins have adequately polymerized, we'll have this one on
the table before five years. If not, i suspect more S02 and longer bottle
time will follow.

Cheers,
Darin
"Tom S" > wrote in message
m...
>
> "Ed Marks" > wrote in message
> ...
>>
>> ">> I calculate that you need 57 ppm to get to .6 molecular with a pH of
>> 3.8 -
>>>> I think I'd add more SO2 assuming you'll be aging this wine for some
>>>> time.
>>>
>>> What's the structure of the wine like? Does it seem like a wine you'll
>>> lay down for a decade+ or something you'll drink within the next few
>>> years? If you'll be going through it pretty soon (~5 years or so) I'd
>>> leave it alone at 35 ppm.
>>>
>>> Tom S
>>
>> Tom,
>>
>> What's your experience doing this? I have some wines aging now that have
>> higher pH than I usually get (probably in the same 3.8 range). I
>> typically try to keep my SO2 levels as low as possilble, but at a
>> molecular level that will keep the wine stable - so I shoot for .6M.
>> Have you found that lower levels are OK for up to 5 years?
>
> I have _white_ wines that have held up for 5 years with relatively low
> SO2. 35 ppm should be safe enough for a red wine - but again, a lot
> depends on the structure of the wine. Some wines just aren't destined to
> improve much over time, no matter what the SO2 is.
>
> Tom S
>