RJ Spagnols RJSpagnols Orange Choc Port add metabisulfite for aging?

[TallTexan]

I am ready to bottle a kit of Orange Choc Port. I have only made WE port in the past. The WE directions (on all of their kits) instruct to add metabisulfite before bottling if wine will be aged more than 6 months. There are no instructions for this in the RJS Orange Choc Port kit. Can anyone tell me if it is recommended to add the Kmeta, and if so, what amount? This kit produces half the volume of a regular wine kit. I do plan to age the port longer than 6 months.

 

[WaterWolf]

Adding metabisulphite will help to preserve the wine if you are ageing it over a long time so I would recommend adding it during your final racking (not directly before bottling). What form does your metabisulphite come in, powder or tablet? Instructions usually say one tablet per gallon but you could probably use less and still be fine.

 

[ibglowin]

Yes, add it. You should have had a package of Sulfite (powder) in the box.

 

[jsiddall]

Yes, add it. You should have had a package of Sulfite (powder) in the box.

Yes, there is a package but that should have been used earlier in the process before bottling. I think the question was about adding another dose of K-meta in addition to what is included in the kit.

 

[ibglowin]

Do you plan on bulk aging or bottle aging? Did you fortify with Brandy etc. ?

 

[TallTexan]

My question was not as clear as it should have been. Yes, I was referring to the addition of K-meta at the end, having added at an earlier step what was included with the kit. I have not ever fortified with brandy (I need to read up on that), and I do plan to bottle age. I went ahead and added to the carboy 1/4 tsp K-meta powder dissolved in 1/2 cup water, which is what the WE port kits recommend for aging greater than 6 months. I was hesitant since the RJS instructions don't mention it, but I'd rather be safe than sorry. I don't think it will change the flavor of the finished product (fingers crossed), and I don't want to risk spoilage, as I hope to hold a couple of bottles back for 2 years or more if I can keep everyone (myself included) away from it that long. It tasted amazing at bottling and I'm sure it will gain complexity over time. My family sampling panel liked this even better than the WE raspberry chocolate that I've made in the past. I pulled out a 750ml bottle of raspberry choc, aged 2 years, at our extended family holiday gathering last year and from the reception I could see that one bottle was not enough. Hoping to offer both the raspberry choc and this orange choc next year. Cheers!

 

[ibglowin]

You don't need to add any extra SO2 for extended bottle aging. Only extended bulk aging. Once its in the bottle the SO2 will not drop much and what you have added from the supplied package should be enough to properly protect the wine for many years. If you bulk age or barrel age then you need to add more as the SO2 levels will drop over time.

 

[TallTexan]

Good to know, Mike. I appreciate your input. I did taste the excess remaining in the carboy after bottling (ie the bit that wasn't enough to fill another bottle) and could not taste the K-meta, so hopefully that will remain the case as it ages.

I do wonder if kit makers vary in their advice on the matter. A few months ago I had contacted Global Vintners Inc, the mother company for Winexpert, with a question about exactly when in the process to add extra K-meta if bottle aging for more than 6 months and a Technical Services Coordinator replied, advising to add the extra 1/4 tsp to the carboy after filtering, just before bottling, noting that there is no need to delay bottling once the K-meta has been added. However, in an article on filtering taken from Winemaker Oct-Nov 2002 "Clear It Up" by Tim Vandergrift, the author advises to have the wine "properly sulfited" before it goes through the filter, with no mention of adding more after filtering before bottling. My dilemma came when making this RJS kit, since there was no mention at all in the instructions of the additional K-meta if aging. I'm a bit gun shy due to a bad experience with a batch of bottle-aged Brunello (Ken Ridge Founders' Series) to which I did not add additional K-meta as the instructions stated specifically to add it to white wine at bottling if aging longer than 6 months, with no mention of red wine; at the 2 year mark it still tasted great, but at 2 1/2 years in the bottle, it had gone bad. Bottom line, if it doesn't do any harm I think I'd rather play it safe. I think the additional 1/4 tsp still keeps the total sulfite level well below that of commercially produced wines, and I have never been able to detect the sulfite flavor in a purchased wine. Time will tell on this batch.

 

[Dugger]

My recollection from a discussion with RJS a few years ago is that because of the higher alcohol content they do not advise the need for additional Kmeta for their port kits. I cannot recall the WE port instructions but I suspect they are similar.

 

[jsiddall]

Good to know, Mike. I appreciate your input. I did taste the excess remaining in the carboy after bottling (ie the bit that wasn't enough to fill another bottle) and could not taste the K-meta, so hopefully that will remain the case as it ages.

I do wonder if kit makers vary in their advice on the matter. A few months ago I had contacted Global Vintners Inc, the mother company for Winexpert, with a question about exactly when in the process to add extra K-meta if bottle aging for more than 6 months and a Technical Services Coordinator replied, advising to add the extra 1/4 tsp to the carboy after filtering, just before bottling, noting that there is no need to delay bottling once the K-meta has been added.

Update: just reading the instructions from a Passport kit I am making currently, it says:

"If aging your wine for longer than 6 months, add 1/4 tsp. of Potassium Metabisulphite dissolved in wine after filtering and prior to bottling."

 

[redneckwinedude]

I made this same kit and ended up fortifying with orange liqueur (750ml) to emphasize the orange flavor and a few oz of everclear. The orange liqueur was a suggestion from my local wine making club as the orange flavor tends to drop out. I figured my ABV was up to 19.5-20%. I did not add any extra k-meta thinking the high alcohol would keep it good for a long time. We'll see...