Skeeter and too much KMeta?

[NorCal]

I really like the Skeeter, but it has given me a headache each time I have drank it, even in modest amounts. I have not had this same effect from any other wine, beverage or food. Others have drank my Skeeter and do not have the same headache effect, so I'm confident it is something I'm sensitive to. On another post, someone suggested that it could be the amount of sulfites in the Skeeter, so I decided to check into it.

The original recipe calls for ½ teaspoon of KMeta for the 5 gallon batch

Potassium metabisulfite, powder 6.2g / tsp

1 gram of potassium metabisulfite = 150ppm in 1 gallon

½ teaspoon in recipe provides 3.1 grams X 150ppm / 5 gallons = 93 ppm

Wine with a PH of less than 3.0 needs SO2 < 15 ppm

Are my assumptions or math wrong on the amount the recipe calls for vs. what is needed?

Not meaning to knock the recipe as it obviously has worked great for many people, but rather trying to figure out what is driving my sensitivity.

I plan on making a batch and use 85% less KMeta than the recipe calls for (.5 grams for 15 ppm) and still falls within good SO2 guidelines and see if this remedies my problem.

Thoughts?

References:
http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/measures.asp

http://morewinemaking.com/public/pdf/so2.pdf
http://morewinemaking.com/public/pdf/so2.pdf


Sent from my iPhone using Wine Making

 

[djrockinsteve]

I rarely add any K-Meta pre fermentation. Usually I will add for a 5 gallon batch around 1/4-1/2 teaspoon at clearing, then a pinch (1/8th teaspoon) when it's prepared to age. When I back sweeten I add less than a pinch and allow it to rest a few weeks before bottling.

Some folks use more.

Why not try a glass or two after it's cleared before adding any more. See if you get a headache. Again try it after back sweetening but before you add any K-Meta.

Find out if that really is the culprit. There is K-Meta in many other foods that we are not aware of.

 

[Kraffty]

Found this looking into sulfite sensitivity, you'll probably need to eliminate the lemon juice too if sulfites do affect you.
Greater than 100 ppm of sulfites (very high levels, strict avoidance advised in people with sulfite allergy)
dried fruits (excluding dark raisins and prunes)
bottled lemon juice (non-frozen)
bottled lime juice (non-frozen)
wine
molasses
sauerkraut (and its juice)
grape juices (white, white sparkling, pink sparkling, red sparkling)
pickled cocktail onions

If the above don't give you headaches the culprit might be something else.

Mike