K-meta & bulk aging

[Kramnuko]

I have a barolo bulk aging in a carboy, how often should I add K-meta to it? Is there anything else to add? When should I bottle?

 

[ibglowin]

1/4tsp max every 4 months as long as its properly topped up and under airlock/stopper. Don't be in a hurry to bottle. This gives the wine more time to drop sediment in the carboy instead of your bottle. I would not bottle for at least 6 months min.

 

[robie]

Yep, that's good advice.

 

[Kramnuko]

Thanks for the information

 

[Boatboy24]

Just to clarify: that's 1/4 teaspoon for the entire batch, not per gallon, right?

 

[Noontime]

Just to clarify: that's 1/4 teaspoon for the entire batch, not per gallon, right?

That's correct...1/4 tsp is standard for a 6 gallon carboy.

 

[Matt723]

That's correct...1/4 tsp is standard for a 6 gallon carboy.

New guy here... what does this accomplish? I have some carboys aging, didn't know I needed to add anything further.

Thanks!

 

[robie]

New guy here... what does this accomplish? I have some carboys aging, didn't know I needed to add anything further.

Thanks!

Kmeta cuts down on the possibility of oxidation. It keeps oxygen from harming your wine.

The initial dose of Kmeta that you add at stabilization time won't protect the wine forever. If you are not going to drink the wine within six months, some kit companies say to add some addition Kmeta just before you bottle.

The other scenario is if you bulk age. Every 4 months during bulk aging you should add another 1/4 teaspoon of Kmeta to 6 gallons of wine.

 

[Matt723]

Thanks for answering all my questions today in various threads! haha

I guess I'll have to buy some bulk k meta then.

 

[robie]

Thanks for answering all my questions today in various threads! haha

I guess I'll have to buy some bulk k meta then.

Bulk Kmeta is much better than trying to crush a dozen Campden tablets.
It makes a great sanitizer at 3 tablespoons of Kmeta per gallon of water.

 

[Sammyk]

how much per gallon? I have read a scant 1/4 teaspoon which seems very vague. How much would I dissolve in say 8 oz of water and then how much of that water per gallon?

 

[Julie]

doing a gallon is tough adding k-meta to it, I would say a little less than 1/16th of a tsp. take a little bit of wine out of the carboy and add the k-meta to that, stir, then add it back. you do this once every four months until bottling.

 

[bob1]

BobF posted this a couple of days ago for 1 gallon batches. I had problems with the campden tabs. I think this is a much better way to go.

I dissolve 2 tsp in 20oz of water. I use a syringe to add 15ml (1/2 oz) of the solution per gallon.

 

[Julie]

BobF posted this a couple of days ago for 1 gallon batches. I had problems with the campden tabs. I think this is a much better way to go.

thanks, I missed that post. this is a much better way of adding k-meta to gallon batches

 

[Sammyk]

Thank you! that is exactly what I was looking for. So if I don't use it all could I store it in the fridge or is it better to just throw it out?

 

[Neviawen]

I have a question sort of on the lines of this thread so I'm just going to post it here. ... I made a 6 gal batch of Pinot Noir in the beginning of this yr and it was bottled in March because the instructions said I could. The last steps, where I added the sorbate and clearing agent, it said to add kmeta. So is this wine still ok or should I have added more if I wanted to bulk age this? I recently tasted a bottle of this wine and it is coming along nicely. Should I be worried about letting it sit to age longer? What should I do if I need to add more k'meta? Open ALL the bottles up and add it? Would that mess the wine up?

 

[Julie]

I have a question sort of on the lines of this thread so I'm just going to post it here. ... I made a 6 gal batch of Pinot Noir in the beginning of this yr and it was bottled in March because the instructions said I could. The last steps, where I added the sorbate and clearing agent, it said to add kmeta. So is this wine still ok or should I have added more if I wanted to bulk age this? I recently tasted a bottle of this wine and it is coming along nicely. Should I be worried about letting it sit to age longer? What should I do if I need to add more k'meta? Open ALL the bottles up and add it? Would that mess the wine up?

Once bottled you no longer need to add k-meta.

 

[Bartman]

I have a question sort of on the lines of this thread so I'm just going to post it here. ... I made a 6 gal batch of Pinot Noir in the beginning of this yr and it was bottled in March because the instructions said I could. The last steps, where I added the sorbate and clearing agent, it said to add kmeta. So is this wine still ok or should I have added more if I wanted to bulk age this? I recently tasted a bottle of this wine and it is coming along nicely. Should I be worried about letting it sit to age longer? What should I do if I need to add more k'meta? Open ALL the bottles up and add it? Would that mess the wine up?

Wait, I'm confused - when you bottled the wine, did the instructions say to add the sorbate, then the clearing agent, then k-meta when bottling? That would be strange, as the sorbate would usually be added after the clearing agent had settled out the finings.

Regardless, if you added the k-meta at or immediately before the time of bottling, you are fine. This thread is clarifying that that if you bulk age in the carboy rather than bottle age (as you are doing, if you don't drink it right away ), you need to add some extra k-meta that's not provided with the kit every 3-4-5 months of bulk aging. So if you bulk age a dry red for 10-12 months after fermenting, you will need to add additional k-meta to the carboy at least once, if not twice, before bottling (with another dose when bottled).

 

[MalvinaScordaad]

Wait, I'm confused - when you bottled the wine, did the instructions say to add the sorbate, then the clearing agent, then k-meta when bottling? That would be strange, as the sorbate would usually be added after the clearing agent had settled out the finings.

Regardless, if you added the k-meta at or immediately before the time of bottling, you are fine. This thread is clarifying that that if you bulk age in the carboy rather than bottle age (as you are doing, if you don't drink it right away ), you need to add some extra k-meta that's not provided with the kit every 3-4-5 months of bulk aging. So if you bulk age a dry red for 10-12 months after fermenting, you will need to add additional k-meta to the carboy at least once, if not twice, before bottling (with another dose when bottled).

I am not sure I agree with your recommendation. Bulk Aging in a Carboy is not too much different than a bottle. Probably the biggest difference is using an Air Lock instead of a cork. So it could be argued that you could have some O2 infiltration with the Air Lock. However one usually adds an additional dose of K meta after racking a Carboy when bulk aging not just simply on a time frame. I would agree you might want to add an additional dose at bottling but not just because the wine is in a carboy sitting for 6 months. The best way is to test for So2 and add accordingly amounts related to the PH of the wine.

Interestingly Wine seems to age faster in smaller containers. So if you are only interested in aging you are better off bottling and aging that way.
Malvina

 

[bob1]

on the above post yes cap a small jar and keep in a cool place for later use or use as a sanatizer