Is metabisulfite needed for sanitation?

I have StarSan and iodophor on hand from making beer, but I notice the wine kit I'm getting calls for metabisulfite to sanitize everything. (It's a Winexpert kit, and I found the instructions online.)

I know that I'll probably need some sulfite eventually for later rackings and such, but do I really need it for sanitizing? I'm not that close to a supply store and I'd like to get to work on the kit when it arrives in a couple of days.

Thanks in advance.

From what i've read it's used to prevent oxidization when you rack. It also kills wild yeasts and bacteria especially in fresh fruits. So I would kinda think it was necessary. I'm not certain though by any means.

That's correct- you use it IN wine, but you don't need it for sanitation if you already have a good no-rinse sanitizer. I never have used sulfite for a sanitizer (well, I think I did once, when I was out of star-san). The wine kits have a little sulfite in them, so you only need to add more (purchased separately) when you go to bottle if you plan on aging the wine more than a few months. I like campden tablets for this- you use one crushed campden tablet per gallon, so there is no measuring 1/8 tsps like there is when you use potassium metabisulfite. Once I used up the package, I stopped buying it and just use the campden tablets. It's convenient.

Thanks, Yooper. That was the reassurance I was hoping for. I thought I'd read that Campden tabs were a pain to smash and grind, so I was planning to get the meta by the ounce or something. Maybe I'll try the tablets after all. Again, thanks for the info.

gimmebeer said:

Thanks, Yooper. That was the reassurance I was hoping for. I thought I'd read that Campden tabs were a pain to smash and grind, so I was planning to get the meta by the ounce or something. Maybe I'll try the tablets after all. Again, thanks for the info.

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You're welcome. Well, you do have to smash them up, but I just use a spoon, and they crush easily, then you pop them in the microwave with a little water, and they stir right up and dissolve. It's true that the k-meta powder is very easy to use, but in small batches, you're using pretty minute quantities. If you're making 10 gallons at a time, though, the powder would probably be the way to go- it would be cheaper and then you'd use like a whole teaspoon.

I use 1 campden tablet per gallon at the start, and then 1 campden tablet per gallon at every other racking, so a bottle does last a long time!