View Single Post
  #11 (permalink)   Report Post  
Posted to rec.crafts.winemaking
bobdrob bobdrob is offline
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 109
Default Wine Kits and Wine Quality?

we've only used idophor for our smaller (carboys or smaller) wares for 9
years with no known side issues. we do RTFM and follow it . Our guru at our
LHBWS recommended it exclusively back in '97 & we've used it ever since.
We're not Felix Unger (nor Monk) when it comes to sanitation, but idophor
seems to have done us well. We do, however use clorox on the crusher, press,
and 90 gal primary tubs due to inordinate cheapness.


"gene" > wrote in message
et...
> Droopy wrote:
>
>> gene wrote:
>>
>>>ahhhhh... I follow your thought now... You are right on for during
>>>crush. My brain presently stuck in racking time now.
>>>The 'whole process only as strong as the last sanitizer' seems to assume
>>>same bad bugs whole time. Are you sure that is correct assumption?
>>>
>>>Gene

>>
>>
>>
>>
>> Well, the things that can infect your wine will be present in your
>> winery microenvironment to begin with. The relative concentrations can
>> change, like it has been established that you should not make vinegar
>> in the same place that you make wine.....even if you have dedicated
>> equipment.
>>
>> But say you have a carboy that has some contaminant microbe in it. You
>> wash it out with fairly clean tap water. Then you nuke it with bleach.
>> Then you rinse it out with sulfite and lets assume that it is not in
>> the water. Then you make up your must, pitch yeast and stir it a
>> couple time daily.
>>
>> Well whatever microbe was present in your microenvironment just got in
>> to your wine. The only time I would ever worry about such strict
>> sanitation is if it had becoma problem Liek a batch really got skanked
>> up. Then I would pour the stuff down the toilet and bleach the crap
>> out of teh carboy. Which is along the lines of what a winery would do.
>> You can take action after you get an infection, but you cannot really
>> prevent it from occuring by up front sanitation. You always get back
>> to the fact that you are bringing in something that has the
>> contaminating microbes on it. As long as your equipment is clean it
>> will assuredly have less microbial contaminants on it when compared to
>> the fruit. Especially if you use tap water, which has to be relatively
>> clean.
>>

> Good points.
>
> I'd not used iodophor myself before this time... so new experience for
> me... I'd only done K-meta. Is cross-contamination so rapid that
> re-inoculation guaranteed? I didn't think so if one keeps open top of
> container covered right after sanitize. Dunno. Suppose a lot depends on
> air circulation and general cleanliness of work area.
>
> Gene