I can't believe I forgot KMETA!

[PandemoniumWines]

I bottled a batch today that had last been racked and sulfited three months ago. I was so eager to get it bottled and free up a carboy that I had a brain fart - after the last one was done I facepalmed myself and realized I forgot to add kmeta right before I bottled.

I plan to drink this batch in its entirety over Memorial Day 2018. Think it'd be bad if I just shrugged and let it go? I know some winemakers don't use kmeta at all, but it's drunk fairly quickly... but in our hobby, "quickly" can be rather subjective.

Side note, it's tasty. Blueberry vanilla sweetened with maple syrup

 

[cmason1957]

I have forgotten to add Kmeta myself once or twice, usually on the third or fourth that I am bottling that day. It turns out okay. It isn't going to turn to vinegar or anything like that.

 

[mainshipfred]

Uncork a bottle and test the SO2, it may be fine the way it is.

 

[Ajmassa]

If drinking Memorial Day wknd then I wouldn't be worried at all. Especially since you were keeping your levels up throughout aging.
For years we would make wine from juice buckets with no sulphites added whatsoever. It was always gone by 1.5 yrs, but never went bad. A couple times we even used screwtops too.

 

[sour_grapes]

I agree with the others -- Memorial Day 2018 is drinking it quickly. I wager it will be fine.

 

[NorCal]

What was the pH and abv?

 

[Stressbaby]

I did this once and my approach was what @mainshipfred suggested. I uncorked a bottle and checked it and it was fine.

The bigger question might be, did you add sorbate?

 

[PandemoniumWines]

Yes, I add sorbate/kmeta/sweeten a week after fermentation and let it sit.

Well I just won't worry about it then. It's a birthday batch, and I'm pretty sure we will consume all bottles over my birthday since it's always a holiday weekend. I have another batch to bottle today, you can bet the kmeta will not be forgotten this time.

 

[pete1325]

Some of the guys I make wine with (from grapes) never use K-Meta through the entire process, some won't rack after secondary until a month or so before they bottle....never had an issue.

 

[balatonwine]

Wine has been made for about 5,000 years. About 4,900 of those years, nobody used K-Meta. So don't worry too much.

 

[mainshipfred]

The last 2 post to me are a little surprising. Granted wine has been around for thousands of years but when you research it the wine made in ancient times was awfull. It was always diluted and sometimes with 20 parts water. I just did a quick search and found nothing positive about these early wines. Everyone has their individual opinions with the process but the one constant is, sulfites must be introduced for preservation. The amount may be the only variable.

 

[balatonwine]

The last 2 post to me are a little surprising. Granted wine has been around for thousands of years but when you research it the wine made in ancient times was awfull. It was always diluted and sometimes with 20 parts water. I just did a quick search and found nothing positive about these early wines. Everyone has their individual opinions with the process but the one constant is, sulfites must be introduced for preservation. The amount may be the only variable.

Did your sources actually taste wine from 100 BC? In other words, It is easy to be a critic. Harder to be a craftsman.

And thus, actually, one can indeed make wine sans adding K-Meta. Even today. Some modern wine makers do so. I have done so. Thus, no, sulfite like K-Meta are not something that "must" be added. it is just something that makes wine making "easier" for the hobbyist and commercial producers to create a commercially palatable wine with a reliable shelf life. But again, a real craftsman does not need K-Meta.

Do note. I am not saying that K-Meta is bad. No. No. No. Just that it is "optional" depending on the type of wine you want to create and the expected life span of that wine. And of course, one also has better success in wine making by using K-Meta, but that does not mean it is a "must" to make a good "must".