Ascorbic acid (vitamin C) really only protects against oxidation for a very
short time. You might want to add a small amount just before racking in
conjunction with meta bisulfite, or if you're aerating wine to remove a
hydrogen sulfide smell, but generally ascorbic acid isn't a good way to
protect against oxidation. Since ascorbic acid works not by protecting from
oxidation itself but by increasing the efficiency of other antioxidants
(like meta bisulfite), in cases where you don't have enough bisulfite in the
wine, ascorbic acid may actually increase the rate of the wine's oxidation.

A cheap and easily available source for ascorbic acid is vitamin C tablets,
which you can crush in a spoon. I'd stay away from the fresh fruit unless
(such as lemons) unless they're a primary ingredient for the wine you want
to make (and I particuarly won't introduce them into a vinifera-grape wine).

Jon
[Check out my winemaking homepage
http://users.rcn.com/jcgilliam/Southeast_PA_Winemaker/!]

> wrote in message
oups.com...
>I couldn't google this info..Has anyone ever used "Fruit Fresh" as
> their source of ascorbic acid and oxidation reduction/prevention?
>
> Thanks,
> Jim L.
>