RJ Spagnols Bulk Aging WS Amarone kit additives?

[Heavywalker]

I am making a Winery Series Amarone, I just racked and added the K-meta provided in the kit. I plan on bulk aging this wine at least 6 months probably more (I'll taste as I go).

Anyways I decided that since I was going to forgo the bottling instructions and bulk age that there was no real reason to add the sorbate or the clearing agents provided.

Seems to me that only the sulfites would be needed and the rest are just to speed the process along to bottle quickly. I am correct in my thinking here?

 

[Bert]

If your wine fermented down to .99? something and you haven't backsweeten, you will be OK without the sorbate.....you may want to use the clearing agents later, sometime before bottling.....be sure to add more K-meta later as you bulk age your wine....GOOD LUCK

 

[Heavywalker]

It was at .992 at the racking, no backsweetening

 

[rhoffart]

Your good to go ... if it doesn't clear on it's own you may need to help it. But it should clear in 6 months. Are you going to filter before you bottle?

 

[Heavywalker]

I won't be filtering, I don't mind a little sediment and IMHO I think unfiltered wine tastes better all else equal.

 

[ibglowin]

Sounds like a plan then. That should be a good one down the road!

 

[Bartman]

I won't be filtering, I don't mind a little sediment and IMHO I think unfiltered wine tastes better all else equal.

I agree. I bulk age all of my wines and have never filtered, and rarely use any fining agents. Once you get the hang of bottling (manually, without mechanization or motors), you only have one or two bottles with any sediment at the end. I have been pleasantly surprised by wine's inherent resistance to contamination and ruin (having lived 'dangerously' by not testing for sulfite levels and not having as good of a record-keeping system as I should). I suspect my wines are usually lower in sulfites (during bulk-aging and after bottling) than would be recommended but they have never suffered as a result.

I have tasted wine that had gone bad, so I know what kind of fire I am playing with, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

 

[vcasey]

I stopped testing because each wine seemed to be consistent in needing a dose between the 3-4 month mark. So every 4 months they all get a dose and I use the money I would have spent on the test for more wine. Seemed like a fair trade to me.

 

[RickC]

vcasey, do you add 1/4 or 1/8 tsp every 3-4 months.

 

[vcasey]

1/4 tsp

 

[Wade E]

vcasey, what did you use to test the sulfites with. Im using a Hanna S0 tester and find 1/4 tsp every 3-4 months after about 3 of these would put the S02 levels very high! Ive always said in the past that the Accuvin test were better then nothing but now Im seeing these are pretty far off. I hate to put down a product thats cheaper and geared toward us blue collar people but not when the product is giving false results.

 

[vcasey]

I used the Accuvin tests and it's a 1/4 and then an 1/8th (sorry got distracted earlier). I hate adding chemicals which is why we went to the kegs. Use the kegs as a great big wine bottle and then bottle the leftover in the baby 750s. They may get 2 doses before kegging and then nothing until the actual bottling. Hubby checks the tank pressure every month or so.

 

[Wade E]

Ok, thats better. I know if you keep adding 1/4 tsp every 3-4 months you will end up with a very high ppm