First bottling, K-Meta question

[davelochner]

So I am finally ready to bottle my first batch of wine. I used a WE selection estates Mosel Valley Gewurztraminer kit.

I plan on aging this for at least six months to two years. Now in the instructions is said to add 1/4 tsp extra k-meta in 1/4 cup of water before racking and clarification. However I did not do that then. I am now all ready to bottle so I have a few questions:

How much do I add? And how do I do it? Upon buying extra k-meta, I read the instructions on the back. It recommended 1/2 a tsp to be added along with potassium sorbate without any extra water.

I also didnt get any extra sorbate powder when I got the k-meta so, do I also have to pick up some sorbate?

After reading the back of the k-meta package, it says to wait 3 to 4 days before bottling. How long do I wait to bottle the batch? Do I have to wait at all?

 

[robie]

I will try to get a copy of your instructions, but I believe WE was trying to say that if you are not going to drink the wine within six months of bottling, you are supposed to add 1/4 tsp of EXTRA kmeta.

Before clearing, you should already have added the non-optional packet of kmeta and and packet of sorbate, which came with your kit.

You do not need to add more sorbate than that first packet.

Let me get a copy of your instruction on the internet and I'll get back to you in a few minutes.

 

[robie]

Here is what it says:
...
1. Rack the wine into a clean, sanitised carboy. Take all
of the clear wine, and leave the sediment behind.
NOTE:
Winexpert kits contain very low
levels of sulphite compared to
commercial wine. If you want to age your wine more than
6 months, you must add extra metabisulphite powder
to prevent oxidation. To do this, dissolve 1.5 grams (¼
teaspoon) of metabisulphite powder in 125 ml (½ cup) cool
water and gently stir into wine in the clean carboy. This
extra sulphite will not affect flavour or early drinkability.
...

This extra is only to be added if you are going to age more than 6 months.
It doesn't say if aging is in the bottle or in a carboy.

This has always been a point of confusion. Here is what I do with my WE kits, which I have made in the past. If I am NOT going to drink the wine within six months (I am aging the wine, whether in the bottle or out, right?), add another 1/4 tsp of kmeta before start of aging.

Add the 1/4 tsp to a little warm water; stir it until it is completely dissolved; add to wine, stir in well; bottle it.

WE has a little different way to clear and wait.
Yes, I know the instructions say to add this this 28 days before bottling. In this case, I don't think it will hurt to not wait, as you are not waiting on the kmeta to disperse, you are waiting on further clearing.

 

[Daisy317]

So I am finally ready to bottle my first batch of wine. I used a WE selection estates Mosel Valley Gewurztraminer kit.

I plan on aging this for at least six months to two years. Now in the instructions is said to add 1/4 tsp extra k-meta in 1/4 cup of water before racking and clarification. However I did not do that then. I am now all ready to bottle so I have a few questions:

How much do I add? And how do I do it? Upon buying extra k-meta, I read the instructions on the back. It recommended 1/2 a tsp to be added along with potassium sorbate without any extra water.

I also didnt get any extra sorbate powder when I got the k-meta so, do I also have to pick up some sorbate?

After reading the back of the k-meta package, it says to wait 3 to 4 days before bottling. How long do I wait to bottle the batch? Do I have to wait at all?

As above, you do not need any additional sorbate. Add the extra packet of K-meta if you plan to age the wine longer than 6 months. If you are planning to do your aging in a carboy you'll need to keep adding k-meta every few months to keep the wine from oxidizing because your wine is more vulnerable in a carboy. This is not a problem if you plan to bottle age.