Wine and Sterilization

ok, sorry this is a double post..

anyway, i'm about to make my 1st batch of wine, and i read in the instructions that i MUST use metabisulphite for steriliztion needs.

can i use the same sanitizing powder i use when i make beer?

thx,
mark

madrean said:

ok, sorry this is a double post.. (didn't know if it would get much exposure in the wine section and i'd like to get started tonight!)



anyway, i'm about to make my 1st batch of wine, and i read in the instructions that i MUST use metabisulphite for steriliztion needs.

can i use the same sanitizing powder i use when i make beer?

thx,
mark

Click to expand...

This is 3 times now. Please stop posting it. If you want it moved please ask a moderator.

madrean said:

ok, sorry this is a double post.. (didn't know if it would get much exposure in the wine section and i'd like to get started tonight!)



anyway, i'm about to make my 1st batch of wine, and i read in the instructions that i MUST use metabisulphite for steriliztion needs.

can i use the same sanitizing powder i use when i make beer?

thx,
mark

Click to expand...

I used One-Step when I made my Winexpert Merlot kit a couple of months ago. If I remember correctly, Walker used Idophor when he made his.

I wondered the same thing as you, because the instructions so say to use metabisulphite, and these are high dollar kits. After some research, you don't have to use metabisulphite as long as you sanitize everything well.

I still wouldn't use bleach. Metabisulphite is good in that it deactivates (for the lack of a better word) bleach. As long as you haven't had bleach around your equipment, use your favorite sanitizer.

awesome! thanks. that was kinda what i was thinking (worried b/c my kit was $102 plus tax).

i'll use my "powder sanitizer" that i've been using for beer making.

_______________

dude, are you having a bad day? what's the saying? relax, have a homebrew!

madrean said:

awesome! thanks. that was kinda what i was thinking (worried b/c my kit was $102 plus tax).

i'll use my "powder sanitizer" that i've been using for beer making.

_______________

dude, are you having a bad day? what's the saying? relax, have a homebrew!

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What kind of powder sanitizer?

For some good reading, find Walker's "I think I want to give wine a try" thread in the winemaking section. It should be in the General winemaking area.

i had this quesiton myself on the batch of wine I've got going right now (my 1st attempt at wine.)

Anyway, the feedback I got was that sanitizing is sanitizing is sanitizing. You are not REQUIRED to sanitize with the metabisulphite solution. I believe the reason that they suggest this is because you are going to eventually add metabisulphite to the wine itself, so why not sanitize with it, too? No chance of your sanitizer creating any off-flavor, and you don't have to rinse. You are just sanitizing with one of your ingredients.

If bleach was something that had to be added to beer for aging, people would swear up and down that it was THE sanitizer to use for beer, and anything else was inferior.

Use whatever you use for your beer. It'll be fine.


-walker

well, whether or not the mysterious powder was a bad idea, too late now!!

i just finished making the batch. boy, sure was a lot easier than beer!

however, a little more nerveracking due to the much higher cost.

the mysterious powder was bought at the LHBS. it says "sanitizer and cleaner." been using it for beer making.

i'm assuming it's non-bleach based b/c i talked about it with the LHBS guy and while we were talking about "bleach" he didn't raise any concerns when we moved onto the powder.

thanks for your help! dude, i love this place! :rockin:

thanks walker. will post the outcome in the days to come.

madrean said:

_______________

dude, are you having a bad day? what's the saying? relax, have a homebrew!

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When I have to move 3 of your threads because of duplicates, yeah it gets me testy. A simple PM asking me to move it would have been better than creating 2 additional threads for the exact same topic.