Kmeta again or not?

[jumby]

I have a 6 gallon batch of wine that's been bulk aging for 10 months. I dosed it every 3 months with a 1/4 teaspoon of kmeta. The last time being on 8-4-18. The plan is to bottle it tomorrow. Should I dose it with another 1/4 of kmeta tomorrow or just bottle as is? I plan on letting it age at least another 2 years in the bottle before drinking.

 

[Johnd]

I have a 6 gallon batch of wine that's been bulk aging for 10 months. I dosed it every 3 months with a 1/4 teaspoon of kmeta. The last time being on 8-4-18. The plan is to bottle it tomorrow. Should I dose it with another 1/4 of kmeta tomorrow or just bottle as is? I plan on letting it age at least another 2 years in the bottle before drinking.

I wouldn’t dose it again, it’s only been a short time since your last.

 

[NorCal]

Bottle away.

 

[jumby]

Opps,,, just checked my notes and my original post should have said the last dose was 7-4-18, not 8-4-18. I went ahead and bottled it anyway without dosing it again. Hopefully it will be fine!

 

[pete1325]

Thanks for asking the question.....I too racked and K-Meta around the same time and was wondering if I should hit it again before bottling, I opted to bottle away.

 

[jumby]

I'm wondering at what point it needs dosing again? I think at the 2 month point I would dose it again if I was bottling.

 

[mainshipfred]

I'm wondering at what point it needs dosing again? I think at the 2 month point I would dose it again if I was bottling.

Might be reading this wrong but once it's in the bottle it done, plus you can't redose it.

 

[jumby]

Might be reading this wrong but once it's in the bottle it done, plus you can't redose it.

You are reading it wrong. I'm asking about when it's in the carboy bulk aging and ready for bottling. Sorry if it's not clear!

 

[Johnd]

Opps,,, just checked my notes and my original post should have said the last dose was 7-4-18, not 8-4-18. I went ahead and bottled it anyway without dosing it again. Hopefully it will be fine!

Still, even with the extra month, my advice would be unchanged, unless you were dealing with a particularly high pH wine. The 1/4 tsp / 6 gallon rule of thumb is plenty safe, and sulfite just doesn’t dissipate that quickly in a well sealed carboy. You should be just fine.

 

[pgentile]

I'm wondering at what point it needs dosing again? I think at the 2 month point I would dose it again if I was bottling.

I try to bottle after about a week or two of the last kmeta dose, but as long as I'm within 90 days of the last one I usually just bottle.

 

[jumby]

Still, even with the extra month, my advice would be unchanged, unless you were dealing with a particularly high pH wine. The 1/4 tsp / 6 gallon rule of thumb is plenty safe, and sulfite just doesn’t dissipate that quickly in a well sealed carboy. You should be just fine.

At what point would you dose it again at bottling?

 

[Johnd]

At what point would you dose it again at bottling?

I’d test with my meter and dose only what is needed. That said, without the ability to test, once I hit the “2 month since last dose” point, I’d probably give it a half dose, then bottle. Again, the 1/4 tsp / 6 gallon rule is a little heavy handed for most wines needs if their pH is under the 3.5 / 3.6 range, even more so with lower pH wines. Probably not everyone would agree, but I believe in keeping sulfite to a minimum.

 

[Scooter68]

Agree John, A good sealing cork should keep those wines in good shape. I have a Peach-Riesling I will bottle in the next week. It was dosed just before we went on a 3 week trip so I have no fear that it will keep just fine and in f act those 3 weeks should have taken any edge off with anything that needed
a chance to escape before bottling time.

I would expect that unless a person is planning on keeping those bottles around for more than 3-4 years there is probably little to no chance of the wine degrading in any way.

 

[Ajmassa]

I know this may sound like crazy talk, but for what it’s worth, I’ve made wine many times without adding ANY sulphites whatsoever at any stage in the process. Only kmeta was to sanitize my equipment and bottles.
Longest it went before consumption was almost 4 yrs. It aged extremely well in spite of this (with cheap corks to boot). Proper sulphite levels aren’t as crucial as they’re made out to be.
Not advising against them. Just saying you’d be surprised at how resilient your wine can be under ideal conditions.

 

[pete1325]

Well put Jersey Fresh......the old guys I make wine with NEVER add anything to their wine...period! And they turn out fine. They do however sanitize...

 

[ceeaton]

Just a side note. Kmeta, even when properly stored, looses its potency. I've been told (this was from an employee in a wine/beer making shop who makes more money from the business if I buy more stuff) that it looses 1/2 of it's potency every year that it ages. Not sure if it's true, but I'd rather be sure than sorry, plus the stuff is rather cheap. Maybe one of our resident scientists can chime in.

The best route if you can afford it (and I can't, yet) is to buy a device to test your wine. Then if the Kmeta gets weak, it should show up in the test.

 

[Ajmassa]

Well put Jersey Fresh......the old guys I make wine with NEVER add anything to their wine...period! And they turn out fine. They do however sanitize...

Well it shouldn’t come as a surprise to know I was initially shown (not taught) how to make wine by the old timers. Eventually I had to correct many bad habits once aware. But the experience I gained in seeing/making old style wine 1st hand was invaluable.
I kinda view it as polar opposite from learning on kits:
Having ALL the info and figuring out what’s less
Important later. - opposed to - Having NO technical knowledge and learning later what IS important.

 

[bstnh1]

I dose my carboys with 1/8 tsp. K-meta once a month when I rack it. I bottle after a few months and do not add any more K-meta when bottling. I've had wine in the bottle for as long as 6 years with no problems.