Crystals floating on wine while bulk aging?

[oliver]

Dear Winemakers,
Im currently in bulk aging for my first batch ever. It is in my cellar now which has pretty low temperature due to the cold winter (~10-15 Celsius).
A few weeks ago I posted because I saw some white shimmer on my wine.
We concluded that this might be undissolved K-Meta since i just sprinkled it in.
However now there are some visible dots on the wine, it looks like crystals but its not well visible without flashlight.

The wine smells really good, so the aging does its work but should i be concerned about the floaters??
I attached a picture below.

 

[QuiQuog]

I had something similar recently, but I didn’t notice it when it started. Yours looks similar because there’s also a film on the surface. Winemaker81 suggested that it may be some floaty solids since it was a juice pail instead of a kit, and it didn’t get drowned by the super kleer. Per someone else’s suggestion, I dabbed at it with a kmeta dampened paper towel to remove it, wiped it away from the sides, then racked it into another carboy. It didn’t return after a couple of weeks and didn’t seem to affect the flavor so I bottled it. Time will tell if it was a mistake.
Here’s what mine looked like. This was after a few months of aging. Some oak cubes attached to it also and didn’t sink until I started dabbing at it.

 

[oliver]

I had something similar recently, but I didn’t notice it when it started. Yours looks similar because there’s also a film on the surface. Winemaker81 suggested that it may be some floaty solids since it was a juice pail instead of a kit, and it didn’t get drowned by the super kleer. Per someone else’s suggestion, I dabbed at it with a kmeta dampened paper towel to remove it, wiped it away from the sides, then racked it into another carboy. It didn’t return after a couple of weeks and didn’t seem to affect the flavor so I bottled it. Time will tell if it was a mistake.
Here’s what mine looked like. This was after a few months of aging. Some oak cubes attached to it also and didn’t sink until I started dabbing at it.

oh yes that looks similar, I will try to remove it with some towel as you said.

Maybe i will see what it is afterwards.

Thanks for the reply and merry christmas!

 

[VinesnBines]

I think I’m the one that suggested blotting the surface with a kmeta wet paper towel, also wipe the time of the carboy neck with a new kmata wet paper towel. Hit with a dose of kmeta to the carboy if it has been more than a month since you added any. Top up to close to the stopper, leaving no more than an inch of headspace and for good measure drip a few milliliters of grain alcohol (Everclear - the strongest you can get) around the inside rim of the carboy. Add a clean sanitized stopper and airlock. You shouldn’t see it regrowing. I’ve had a lot of trouble with it growing but I’ve always caught it fast and never had it affect the wine. Just watch everything closely.

 

[Rice_Guy]

I would be concerned about Acetobacter, also micoderma , ,,, > this defect is common in wines which are exposed to air. It is worth checking the cork, is it hard and not sealing? or is the air lock not sealing/ has a burr/ mold mark? did it go dry?
Acetic acid is detectable above 100 to 125 ppm. You can still keep fruity aromatics.

The treatment is to 1) remove the film with a paper towel 2) treat the carboy with 0.2gm/ gallon (1.0 gm per 19 liter carboy) of potassium metabisulphite 3) layer a few ml of grain alcohol (vodka or brandy etc) on the surface which was infected.
Microbial Infection will not go away by itself.
i didn’t catch your first post, so welcome to Wine Making Talk and merry Christmas

 

[VinesnBines]

I would be concerned about Acetobacter, also micoderma , ,,, > this defect is common in wines which are exposed to air. It is worth checking the cork, is it hard and not sealing? or is the air lock not sealing/ has a burr/ mold mark? did it go dry?
Acetic acid is detectable above 100 to 125 ppm. You can still keep fruity aromatics.

The treatment is to 1) remove the film with a paper towel 2) treat the carboy with 0.2gm/ gallon (1.0 gm per 19 liter carboy) of potassium metabisulphite 3) layer a few ml of grain alcohol (vodka or brandy etc) on the surface which was infected.
Microbial Infection will not go away by itself.
i didn’t catch your first post, so welcome to Wine Making Talk and merry Christmas

Rice_Guy is the one that gave me the protocol. It will not hurt a thing to follow his advice.

My stoppers have been too loose so I’m trying to remedy that issue and keep up with kmeta dosages.

 

[vinny]

I would be concerned about Acetobacter, also micoderma , ,,, > this defect is common in wines which are exposed to air. It is worth checking the cork, is it hard and not sealing? or is the air lock not sealing/ has a burr/ mold mark? did it go dry?
Acetic acid is detectable above 100 to 125 ppm. You can still keep fruity aromatics.

The treatment is to 1) remove the film with a paper towel 2) treat the carboy with 0.2gm/ gallon (1.0 gm per 19 liter carboy) of potassium metabisulphite 3) layer a few ml of grain alcohol (vodka or brandy etc) on the surface which was infected.
Microbial Infection will not go away by itself.
i didn’t catch your first post, so welcome to Wine Making Talk and merry Christmas

'Layering' grain alcohol.

Is this an immediate disinfectant technique, or is the idea that the alcohol will stay suspended above the wine making a long term protective layer?

 

[Rice_Guy]

'Layering' grain alcohol.

Is this an immediate disinfectant technique, or is the idea that the alcohol will stay suspended above the wine making a long term protective layer?

Alcohol will mix no matter what we do. Killing micro is a numbers game, we have more bang for the buck if we do not intentionally create a low concentration of sanitizing agent, ,,, this might be more effective if done with a spray bottle, ,,, looking at covid virus kill numbers are based on immediate contact

 

[oliver]

thanks to all replies, i will try to remove this stuff and put some kmeta in. plus the alcohol on top.

Lets hope this solves it

UPDATE:
i cleaned it with a paper towel and found the specs on top are small red spots, they are hard so now i think they are crystals from tartaric acid. but why did they float?