Siphon hose with copper head???

[Grancru]

I bought a siphon hose that has a copper head. Will this affect my wine or meads coming in contact to the copper?

Please advise ASAP. I am about to bottle and just realized this.

Thanks!

 

[Fletch78]

It will be beneficial, the copper will cancel out sulfurous odor.

 

[biochemedic]

Not a problem...the benefits of copper are probably more theoretical, but certainly not a problem...

 

[MedsenFey]

Copper can cause haze in wine and meads. The amount of exposure you get from racking with something like that is probably minimal, but all other things being equal, I avoid metal exposure unless I need it.

Medsen

 

[Fletch78]

There must be more to the story because Medsen is also the person who told me online that copper will help remove sulphuric odors from mead.

 

[MedsenFey]

Yes, copper is very effective at binding H2S and Mercaptans, so it will help reduce sulfur odors. It will also bind sulfur containing aromatic elements that may have a positive contribution, like thiols (some of the aroma elements in Sauvignon Blanc wine which can also be found in some meads). So copper can strip out some good aromas. Copper and Iron ions can allow hazes to form (particularly protein haze), and they may facilitate oxidation of wines.

Copper can be very useful, but like a lot of things, I like to use it only when necessary, and when the benefits outweigh the potential harm.

Medsen