# Do You Add Campden Tablets Before Racking From One Container To The Other Or After?



## critterhunter (Nov 17, 2010)

This is another question I'm curious about. The way I understand it (?) the Campden tablet does two things- It creates (probably have this one wrong) CO2 like the fermation process and so fills up the air gap in the bottle, and it prevents oxigen in the wine from binding with it from racking. A third thing I've been told (again, probably wrong?) is that it kills off bacteria in the wine as well.

Anyway, if the campden prevents oxygen from binding with the wine then is it better to add it to the wine minutes before racking? Or, if it does also create CO2 then am I better off adding it to the wine minutes AFTER it's been racked?

I've only got one carboy at this time so I have to siphone the wine into my primary bucket, clean the carboy and get rid of the sediment, and then siphon the wine back into the carboy. I've been waiting until it's moved back into the carboy before adding the campden. Which is right, before or after moving the wine, and why is it the right thing to do?

Also, I've asked this in another thread but might as well ask here too. I'm brewing 6.5 gallons of pear wine. In the primary is it 1 tablet per gallon? And in the secondary when racking how many tablets should I use each time? I only put 3 into the primary and have been putting one tablet in at each racking after it has been racked. I know some of you guys prefer powder but I'm early into this wine making thing and just bought the tablets to make things nice and easy as far as measuring goes.


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## winemaker_3352 (Nov 17, 2010)

Sulphites provide protection from bacterial infections in your wine. 

Fermentation is what generates the CO2.

I will rack to a clean vessel and then mix the sulphites in some of the wine and then stir it back into the wine.

1 tablet per gallon of wine is correct in the primary. When going to secondary i would not add any at that point - it is still fermenting and the addition of sulphites could prevent fermentation from working.

Once fermentation is complete - rack off the sediment and then add the sulphites back in - 1/4 per 6 gallons.

My suggestion is to switch to the potassium metabisulphite powder. It is much easier to measure and dissolve in the wine. If you don't crush up the tablets and dissolve properly - you could have some undissolved glue in the wine - the glue is what keeps the tablet form together.


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## PPBart (Nov 17, 2010)

winemaker_3352 said:


> ...My suggestion is to switch to the potassium metabisulphite powder. It is much easier to measure and dissolve in the wine. If you don't crush up the tablets and dissolve properly - you could have some undissolved glue in the wine - the glue is what keeps the tablet form together.



I have to agree with Jon about the benefits of K-meta powder, and I do use it for sanitizing. However, I've used C-tabs for years and they're just a simple and convenient (albeit not as precise) way to measure sulphite addition -- just inertia, I suppose, but they've always worked for me (so far).


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## critterhunter (Nov 19, 2010)

So if I'm racking to my primary, cleaning the secondary, and then racking back to the secondary...When do I put the campen in? Right now I've been waiting until I get the wine about halfway put back into the secondary and then adding it. I'm just wondering if I should be adding it before I siphone from the secondary to prevent more oxidation. Then again, I guess that would be pointless since you can't stir it with the sediment in there you plan to rack off. OK then, so should I add it while in the bucket before siphoning back into the secondary after cleaning it?


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## KSmith3011 (Nov 19, 2010)

Cadmen and/or K-Meta, Na-Meta help reduce the amount of bacteria growing and limits oxidation in your wine. You just want to add it so it will get mixed well in a clean carboy. Crush it completly, add some wine and pour that into the bottom of the carboy. Then rack the rest of the wine on top. 1 tablet per gallon is good, however, if you are doing bulk aging only add that amount every other racking.
Good luck


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