I got away from wine making circa 7 years ago but I’m back at it again. I started thinking about all of the additional chemicals that are added to the “must” during the process. Other than starting a kit with bentonite, I’m thinking about fermenting to dry, settling and clarification without the chemicals but leaving it in the carboy longer to let nature take care of clarifying, and then of course bottling after filtering. Anybody have any experience leaving out additives or recommendations, or concerns?
Use of chemicals from wine ingredient kits.
- Thread starter Sipper
- Start date
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your approach is sound with the exception of not using K-meta. as a bacteria inhibiter and oxygen scavenger it protects the wine through out aging and once bottled.
Many people leave out the fining (clearing) agents when bulk aging since that gives it much more time to clear on its own. And potassium sorbate is not needed if your wine is fermented dry and not backsweetened. But rack off any lees every 3 months or so and add 1/4 tsp potassium metabisulfite (k-meta) at that time for 4-6 gallons. Kits usually combine k-meta with sorbate in the last packet, so you have to buy your own k-meta.
i rarely use all the chemicals. I have never used the fining agents preferring to hold in bulk and rack every couple of months. I use my own oak (spirals) rather than the sawdust provided. I have my own stocks of K meta and K sorbate, tannin etc. I save the sachets of k sorbate and k meta for fruit wines I knock up over autumn, I use the bentonite mixed in with bonsai soil for building bund walls with my bonsai forests and I save the sparkaloid for the day I might really need it. So basically I use a kit only for the juice concentrate .
