Ascorbic acid

[Wade E]

For those of you who use ascorbic acid, how much do you use per gallon
and what wines do you use them on, just fruit or whites too?

 

[grapeman]

Follow the directions for it's use. The one I use is 1 teaspoon per 5 gallons. I use it for apple mainly, but it can be used for lighter color fruit wines so they don't discolor as much. Pear would be another one to come to mind.

 

[Wade E]

There were no directions as it was just in a sealed bag. Thats why I called on you guys.

 

[PeterZ]

The browning of apples and pears is caused by oxidation. Ascorbic acid is an anti-oxidant. So is k-meta. It shouldnt be necessary to use both. That said, using ascorbic acid will add a little acidity to the wine if it is lacking.

 

[Wade E]

Thanks Peter! Thats the 1st thing you said that I understood!

 

[NorthernWinos]

1 teaspoon for 5 gallons...that is the recommendations on the label on the little jar.


I use it in all my fruit wines at bottling....


However...I may start using it on apple wine when I start to ferment....the batch I have going now seems a bit discolored...it was juice I made from some very red apples, even the inside of the Hazen Apple are a bit red...the juice was very pink...that may be the reason of the tawny color of the wine....? It is clearing nicely now.

 

[Wade E]

and do you also add the k-meta at bottling too? Peter says 1 or other. Now I feel like it is a connundrum!

 

[jobe05]

Now I feel like it is a conundrum!

There's a white wine called Conundrum, it's very good..... Wish there was a kit that came close to that.

 

[Wade E]

Sounds good!

 

[Coaster]

Can you use ascorbic acid if you are going to sparkle?

 

[Wade E]

Good question coaster as you cant use k-meta so something to reduce oxidation in a sparkling wine would be a plus!

 

[geocorn]

Since you all started talking about ascorbic acid, my sales of it have gone crazy. Just like they did with the vintner's harvest.


Would you like a list of my slow movers so you can sell them as well? Oh, I forgot, I don't have any slow moving items, except some fancy bottles and some left over beer cappers.

 

[Waldo]

Ohhhhhhhhhhh fancy bottles !!!! For a good Port or a fine Cab !!!

 

[Wade E]

Awesome George!

 

[NorthernWinos]

Beer cappers?

 

[NorthernWinos]

Can you use ascorbic acid if you are going to sparkle?

I always put it in at bottling, even with the sparkling apple wine...going to use it at onset of the primary fermentaion now on the apple s/w....

 

[Wade E]

Excellent NW.

 

[PeterZ]

OK, the following is strictly chemistry, with nothing related to experience in wine making.

Both ascorbic acid and k-meta are anti-oxidants, so both will prevent browning of fruits and vegetables. You may recall that in restuarant salad bars they used to spray the produce with a sulfite solution (Na-meta) to prevent browning, until the asthma/sulfite thing reared its ugly head.

There is a difference, however. Ascorbic acid in water (must) exists only as an ascorbate ion - C6H7O6- (I think that formula is right). K-meta in water, however, can exist in many forms. At the acidity of must/wine it is split between SO3-2 (sulphitic acid) and SO2 gas. I'd be willing to bet that it is the SO2 part that inhibits fermentation.

If I'm correct, then ascorbic acid is the perfect choice for fruit and sparkling wines, because it inhibits oxidation of the wine, while having minimal impact on the yeast.

 

[Wade E]

Good info Peter.