Adding K-Meta before filtering and bottling.

[kuziwk]

Following the kit wine instructions, i added the package of K-meta for the clearing and stabilizing stage which im assuming was close to a 1/4 teaspoon. There were other clearing agents used aswell as bentonite during primary fermentation. The kit basically says to move to another container and bottle after 2 weeks in the clearing and fining stage. Instead Im planning on racking into another carboy for a few days to a week to make sure everything has settled, than filtering this into another carboy right before bottling. Should i go ahead and add another dose of K-meta before filtering, or maybe when i do the transfer? Or maybe dissolve some in some water and put this into the receiving carboy that is the output of the filter on filtering and bottling day?

i just dont want to put too much in the wine and give it an off taste or smell. Im planning to age the wine in the bottle for about 4-6 months before i start drinking it.

The other question i had was about rinsing after sanitizing with K-meta, i've generally been rinsing but i've read that it defeats the purpose. if its any consolation i've been trying to use hot water since the water would come from the hot water heater. The other option is if i skip rinsing, im just concerned i might stall the fermentation since yeast does not like sulfates.

 

[Johnd]

Following the kit wine instructions, i added the package of K-meta for the clearing and stabilizing stage which im assuming was close to a 1/4 teaspoon. There were other clearing agents used aswell as bentonite during primary fermentation. The kit basically says to move to another container and bottle after 2 weeks in the clearing and fining stage. Instead Im planning on racking into another carboy for a few days to a week to make sure everything has settled, than filtering this into another carboy right before bottling. Should i go ahead and add another dose of K-meta before filtering, or maybe when i do the transfer? Or maybe dissolve some in some water and put this into the receiving carboy that is the output of the filter on filtering and bottling day?

i just dont want to put too much in the wine and give it an off taste or smell. Im planning to age the wine in the bottle for about 4-6 months before i start drinking it.

The other question i had was about rinsing after sanitizing with K-meta, i've generally been rinsing but i've read that it defeats the purpose. if its any consolation i've been trying to use hot water since the water would come from the hot water heater. The other option is if i skip rinsing, im just concerned i might stall the fermentation since yeast does not like sulfates.

Since you’re going to rack once and filter once after the time the instructions say to bottle, some consideration should be given to an additional dose. That action of racking, then filtering, and bottling will deplete some of your free sulfite. Consider racking and letting it settle as you indicate, then filtering it into your bottling vessel with a half dose (1/8 tsp) in the vessel, it’ll mix in just fine as you filter into it. You’ll be good to bottle immediately after that.

 

[cgallamo]

The other question i had was about rinsing after sanitizing with K-meta, i've generally been rinsing but i've read that it defeats the purpose. if its any consolation i've been trying to use hot water since the water would come from the hot water heater. The other option is if i skip rinsing, im just concerned i might stall the fermentation since yeast does not like sulfates.

Hope that is wrong - I rinse after sanitizing.

 

[kuziwk]

Since you’re going to rack once and filter once after the time the instructions say to bottle, some consideration should be given to an additional dose. That action of racking, then filtering, and bottling will deplete some of your free sulfite. Consider racking and letting it settle as you indicate, then filtering it into your bottling vessel with a half dose (1/8 tsp) in the vessel, it’ll mix in just fine as you filter into it. You’ll be good to bottle immediately after that.

Yeah so basically add it in after filtering. That works for me, i can also put some on the carboy/ output of filter immediately prior to bottling and not rinse it... killing two birds with one stone.

 

[kuziwk]

Hope that is wrong - I rinse after sanitizing.

Yes well the argument is that the water has bacteria. I live on trucked in city water/cistern which obviously sits in a 2500 gallon tank with a peice of plywood over it on my acreage, so i always try use hot water as i would assume the hot water tank would kill anything since its constantly heating the water. Im sure there were times i was not paying attention and used cold water with no ill effects yet. It uses alot of water though waiting for the hot water to come out, im thinking i should at least rinse in RO water instead since i have a nice filter and we dont drink the tap water. Im sure its fine to drink as others have i just choose not to. At any rate ive read that not rinsing after k-meta is better, even if i had good luck so far....knock on wood.


Excuse my brevity as im typing with my phone.

 

[Scooter68]

No rinse sanitizers are just that - NO RINSE needed. Doing so pretty much removes that safety margin a sanitizer gives you.

Once added K-Meta should protect your wine for 2-3 months in a carboy. If you filter you still should be protected assuming the filtering/racking equipment is clean.

More importantly - Why the rush to bottle. REGARDLESS of what the instructions say - a new wine should be aged at least 6-9 months at a minumum. This is a age old issue that all new wine makers face. Kit wines have instructions that will guide you to produce a drinkable wine under perfect conditions.

If you want a GOOD wine, a wine that is ENJOYABLE to drink - toss the instructions and go with tried and true methods including aging your wine 12 months or more if possible. Fermentations don't always run they way their instructions say regardless of how "Ready to go" that kit mix may be. So do some reading around on this site and some others. Kit makers give generic instructions that may or may not produce the best results. I assume you decided to make your own wine for a number of reasons including making a better wine - following kit instructions faithfully isn't a guarantee of that and bottling in 4-6 weeks just gets the wine in a bottle - a new wine needs to mature and it does that best in bulk where you can watch it and head off problems or tweek it to make it even better.

 

[kuziwk]

Yes i

No rinse sanitizers are just that - NO RINSE needed. Doing so pretty much removes that safety margin a sanitizer gives you.

Once added K-Meta should protect your wine for 2-3 months in a carboy. If you filter you still should be protected assuming the filtering/racking equipment is clean.

More importantly - Why the rush to bottle. REGARDLESS of what the instructions say - a new wine should be aged at least 6-9 months at a minumum. This is a age old issue that all new wine makers face. Kit wines have instructions that will guide you to produce a drinkable wine under perfect conditions.

If you want a GOOD wine, a wine that is ENJOYABLE to drink - toss the instructions and go with tried and true methods including aging your wine 12 months or more if possible. Fermentations don't always run they way their instructions say regardless of how "Ready to go" that kit mix may be. So do some reading around on this site and some others. Kit makers give generic instructions that may or may not produce the best results. I assume you decided to make your own wine for a number of reasons including making a better wine - following kit instructions faithfully isn't a guarantee of that and bottling in 4-6 weeks just gets the wine in a bottle - a new wine needs to mature and it does that best in bulk where you can watch it and head off problems or tweek it to make it even better.

Yes i agree with you for the most part about bulk aging, being a the noob that i am with kit wines im trying to stick to the instructions for the most part with a few tweaks such as black pepper and powdered wine tannin for the cheaper kits. Im honestly afraid of bulk aging due to the fact its inherently more risky than bottle aging. I did two cheap costco kits that came in a 2 for 1 for $100 total which im enjoying as an easy drinking table wine. I have the second batch of the aformentioned clearing, simutaneously i have a celler craft showcase carmenere frementing which cost me about $170 not including the wine i will need to top up the carboy. Im going to get that all that out of the way with as minimal risk as possible. The costco kits are for immediate drinking and the latter for bottle aging. I will do another kit, maybe around $100 and play around with bulk aging. The costco kits are excellent for the money and impressed me overall. I would compare it to a decent 10-$12 CAD a bottle wine that is hand selected by me. Not amazing by any means and a bit light but its hard to pick apart something that costs $2 a bottle and the best part is they are getting bettsr each week in the bottle.

Moving forward i think im going to try and rinse the utensils after a spray with k-meta but i will use my RO 7 stage filtered water to do the job since it alao has a uv filter. It might not remove all the k-meta but probably most of it. I cant imagine that would cause an infection.

 

[vernsgal]

Why think it's more risky to bulk age?

I always bulk age for at least 6 months and at each 3 months I'm able to rack and add a bit more k-meta, and then again when bottling .

Also I never rinse after spraying with k-meta.

Just my personal preferences

 

[Ajmassa]

Well here’s Another no-rinse/pro bulk reply to pile it on.
Your thinking too much man. Spritz utensils with k-meta and air dry. Rinsing off the k-meta is counterproductive. If your worried about the droplets effecting your So2 total just know they won’t. Dry your carboys upside down in a bucket or something for any excess runoff. And if your really still hesitant then start using Star-san. Just don’t rinse!
And bulk aging I’d argue is less risky than bottle aging—-runs the risk of negative things happening and not even knowing it or able to fix it. Bottle a good wine knowing it will get better. Instead of bottling a newborn hoping things work out.
And even with those clearing agents a big red wine can still drop out some sediment even many months later.
Just my opinion. But I think playing it safe and sticking with instructions limits the wine. A bung on a carboy is no worse than a cork in a bottle. But the unknown is risky.

 

[Scooter68]

Yes indeed. Much less risk in bulk aging. I can't imagine bottling up a 3-6 gallon batch and opening a bottle a few months down the road only to find it's gone off or dropped a bunch of sediment in the bottle. In bulk aging you can always make adjustments, and rack again to remove any sediment that drops out on you. Once in the bottle.... well you've invested in corks, labels and your time and effort - something needs fixing - it's a lot of work and waste to un-bottle a batch to fix something forgotten or something missing. Look around and you'll find any number of posts about that. Some have gone back and dumped all their bottled wind back into a large carboy to make an adjustment or fix an issue but that's a lot of effort.

 

[Donatelo]

Listen to what Scooter68 said. Use the K-meta. don't rinse. Boil any water on top of the stove if you think it might give you problems. Let the water cool before adding to the must. Age in a airlocked carboy for as long as you can stand it , in a cool dark place. After you can no longer keep your hands off it, go ahead and sample it, That's SAMPLE it. If you find a taste that you don't like come back here and lets see if we can help.
I have bottled too early and wound up doing exactly as he said. Decorking is a big hassle and you have to lean the bottles again. I made 3 gallons of Dragon's Blood, bottled to early and had a protein wisps show up in my wine. Put it back in the carboy and am waiting patiently for at least two months more. The wine tasted fine. It just had that white milky stuff in there and nobody likes that. TIME IS YOUR FRIEND!