8 gal batch of muscadine wine racked in to secondary carboys at 1.010 SG. Left a good bit room for headspace. It has been a week now in the secondary carboys and was thinking to racking again to reduce the headspace. It is still bubbling slowly. Should I wait to rack again, now or wait? If I transfer, should I put kmeta or wait until fermentation completely stops. Tha ks for the help, can't remember what I did last time.
When to sulfite with Potassium Metabisulfate
- Thread starter Mark_Y
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Seamonkey84
Well-Known Member
From everything I’ve read, if your going to be adding sulfites, You can/should sulfite when the ferment is completely done. But do it when you’re racking. As long as your not opening the carboy, the little bit of fermentation that is finishing up will push out most/any oxygen that is in the headspace. Once the wine seems completely cleared in secondary, rack off of the lees and add some dissolved sulfites to the new vessel, then allow to clear/age some more. It will continue to clear Some more as the wine naturally degasses. Some say to add a dose of sulfites every other racking as well (if you rack multiple times), and again right before bottling. If your going to stabilize with sorbate as well and sweeten, add more sulfites with it, wait a day then sweeten and bottle. But that is all assuming your doing it blindly and not testing for free sulfites and adjusting accordingly, which would be the best way to do it.
Personally I’ve only sulfite when using fruits that I want to sanitize before primary. I have friends that have sensitivities, so I’m avoiding additives as much as possible.
Personally I’ve only sulfite when using fruits that I want to sanitize before primary. I have friends that have sensitivities, so I’m avoiding additives as much as possible.
Blacksmith1
Captain Cheap
first rack no. second yes. third no, fourth yes. every other racking and again when you bottle. just find a way to keep track of if you did or not. brew log, tag on the carboy, whatever floats your boat.
After primary, focus on 1-2" head space after each racking, even if a run to the class 6 is warranted. I use the small surface ring as an indicator of yeast activity and stability, a clean airlock with sulfite water every racking will keep out fruit flies. Every other rack is good for addition of So2, i tend to use an 1/8th tsp or less. More than 2 rackings after prime run the risk of o2 contamination. Patience and refraining from introducing oxygen is the key which generally means 10-18 month time frame before bottling and then 6-8 month before maturity. The more gallons you make the easier it is to have patience.
Don't mind waiting, just need better notes. Last batch completed fermentation in 4 days and I ended up transferring into a carboy at the end of day 4. It got away from me that time. Never expected it to finish so quick. Activity had totally finished. Bottled after 7 months, turned out great, with no oxidation. This time, into carboy at 1.010 SG. I need to top off the 2 carboys, so I will have to transfer into a 5 gal and 3 gal. Transferring to clean carboys, currently in 2 of the 5 gal, and getting rid of seeds and other unappealing foamy crud that made its way into the carboys. Just could not remember when I 1st added Camden. Of course last time it would not have mattered as all activity had ceased.
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