Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
of Campden tablets. Campden tablets are sized with the idea
in mind of accurate dosing of wine and musts to purify must
prior to initiating fermentation and help clear and preserve the
wine later. To use Campden tablets, do not just plunk them
into the wine or must. Instead, use a cleaned and sanitized
wine thief to remove four to eight ounces of must or wine,
and put it into a sanitized glass. Thoroughly crush the
requisite number of tablets, and add the powder to the must or
wine. Stir to dissolve. Once the tablets are dissolved, add the
must or wine back to the original container. For the initial
sanitizing of a must, use two tablets per gallon of must. For
protecting wine from spoilage and oxidation, add one tablet
per gallon before racking.
The second is powdered potassium metabisulfite. In
powdered form it is used to make sterilizing solutions for
sterilizing equipment.
Make a gallon jug (a clean empty plastic water jug is fine) of
sanitizing solution. To make the sanitizing solution, dissolve a
measuring teaspoon of potassium metabisulfite powder in a
gallon of water. You can use this solution repeatedly, and
pour it back in the bottle after each use to rinse a fermenter or
a racking tube until it loses its potency or becomes obviously
dirty. If you keep the container tightly sealed when not in use,
it will stay effective for a very long time. You can tell if it is
potent by sniffing the solution. If the scent just barely tickles
your nose, it needs to be replaced.
There are other sanitizers available and when you have
become more experienced and confident, you can branch out
and start experimenting. But sulfites are the easiest to use not
