Bulk aging

[NorCal]

@NorCal Thanks for sharing your test results. We need more experiments like this to provide a solid basis for our choice of procedure.

Did you do more than one test since adding the Kmeta? It seems to me that most of the free SO2 would be used up in the first week. Once the dissolved O2 had been removed, the SO2 levels would probably not decline as much. If you only did one test after adding the Kmeta, then I'm not sure that that can be projected to a certain amount of consumption per week.

If you do more than one test, you would let in some O2 each time you open the carboy for a test. So the best test would be several identical containers with wine from the same batch. Add equal amounts of Kmeta. Then open them at different times and test the free SO2. For example, test one after 1 week, one after 1 month, one after two months.

I think you are right. I would not expect a linear consumption of the free SO2. It is not only the container, but the wine itself. The point that I wanted to make, since most people don't have a Vinemetrica, is that the rule of thumb (1/4 tsp per 5 gallons, every 3 months) is conservative and is appropriate for most wines and most situations.

 

[winemaker81]

It does show that a 1/4 tsp (1.5 grams), which is 50 ppm for a 5 gallon carboy every 3 months would assume a consumption of 3.8 ppm per week. Making that addition, on that schedule, in that container would be very safe.

Thanks for publishing your results. I had confidence that "1/4 tsp per 5 gallons" made sense, given how prevalent it is, but it still makes me feel better about it that you proved it to be valid.

@NorCal Thanks for sharing your test results. We need more experiments like this to provide a solid basis for our choice of procedure.

Very true!

I read some research papers regarding wine and grapes, but a lot of it gets so deep into the technical jargon that I spend more time looking up terms than reading. It's much more useful for us to do our experiments and discuss them as actual winemakers, not research scientists who are seeking to publish. This is not to downplay the value of the dedicated researchers, but the fact is I'm decades past high school chemistry & biology, and there are times when plain 'ole English is nice to read.