Can anyone help?

[wisp]

I wasn't able to make the August VWC, but I seem to recall that the topic was to be juice extraction and a link was sent out for online videos.

I can not, for the life of me, find the appropriate link and wondered if someone could point me in the right direction?

I've just been given 6lbs of plums and thought I'd have a look and see the techniques that are used with various ingredients.

My other question is what is meant by 'sulfite [sulphite] initially and after every other racking'? I know I should know, and I probably have a fair idea but I'm not too proud to ask.

I'd be very grateful for any help, especially the source of the videos.

If I've missed this elsewhere, please accept my apologies ... my eyesight is not so brilliant since the diabetes has taken hold of my central nervous system.

[Tuco]

I think the videos your on about are here http://www.youtube.com/user/Winesathome click on See All uploads


And by 'sulphite' i think it means to add a campden tablet or some of the 10% solution (can't remember how much but it's about 5ml)

[wisp]

Cheers Ace!

[Duffbeer]

Don't add sulphite at every other racking you will over sulphite, add once when ferment is over and again 3 to 6 months later if stored in d/j.

[wisp]

Cheers DB, the line is from http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/reques12.asp, it was the 'every other racking' that really confused me. It's not hard to do, confuse me I mean, I know ... but I knew you guys would come to the rescue.

[lockwood1956]

I agree
I add at end of ferment, (after 1st racking) then none after 2nd racking, I tend to add after 3rd racking (at around 4 to 6 months) and then again at 1 year if ageing any length of time.

the idea is to keep the free sulphite at a level above 30 to 40 ppm the sulphiter becomes bound in the wine as it ages, and when it is bound in the wine it isnt effective, so its the free sulphite that counts. the proper way to do it is of course to test for it, but sulphite test kits arent readily available in the UK, and they are stupidly expensive. (£50 ish)

regards
bob

[wisp]

Ye gods!

So what is the best way of doing this? Will campden tablets do the job, as Tuco suggests, or do I need to use something else too/instead?

[lockwood1956]

Yes campden tablets will do the job for you

[wisp]

Cheers

[Tuco]

Don't add sulphite at every other racking you will over sulphite, add once when ferment is over and again 3 to 6 months later if stored in d/j.

Thanks Karl, I thought you had to sulphite at every racking, I'll know in future, I thought any exposure to air would need sulphite adding, but now I know. If you over sulphite does it not evaporate over time?

Bob, does ppm mean points per million?

[Duffbeer]

Thanks Karl, I thought you had to sulphite at every racking, I'll know in future, I thought any exposure to air would need sulphite adding, but now I know. If you over sulphite does it not evaporate over time?

Bob, does ppm mean points per million?

The term 'every other racking' is meant for winemakers who unlike me are very patient and tend not to use finnings or filter and are quite happy to age in a carboy for 1 to 2 years or more.
Generally sulphite is added to stabilize with sorbate then it is left for 6 weeks or so to clear, racked and left for another 6 weeks racked, sulphited and so on.
The reason I mention this is many wine makers rack several times at an early stage, often three to four times whilst in the clearing stage, the addition of more than 1 campden tablet or 5ml sulphite solution is not necessary at this point and will give a distinctive sulphite odour and taste which can ruin some early drinking wines such as wine # 1.

PPM = parts per million.