Kevin Harbin, Gardener

Ever seen the label on a wine bottle that says ‘Contains Sulfites’ and wondered what that means? Well if you did you should probably have looked it up, maybe in a Wikipedia article. That’s what I did.

Long story short, sulfites (also sulphites) are the name for many kinds of compounds containing the sulfite ion, many of which have the capacity to combat bacteria, specifically the kind that would create bad flavors in wine. There are a couple times that sulfites can be added. The first is in the initial picking process. Fresh grapes can be treated with sulfite compounds to kill bacteria and other unwanted yeast strains prior to being crushed and worked.  Also, as I mentioned sulfites can kill yeast, this property is good for stabilizing a wine as it’s being bottled. Even if no extra sulfites are added grapes still naturally produce a small amount, as do many other things.

Now that you know what it’s for, why should you care? Some people have a reaction to sulfites similar to an allergy, with symptoms like itchy skin, headaches, and difficulty breathing.

I expect that the cabernet sauvignon concentrate that I bought used sulfites to keep it from spoiling before I got it. The only way to be sure that no extra sulfites are added is to be in control of the whole process from picking to bottling.

For further reading I recommend this articleby Bill Zacharkiw

August 1, 2008

Water – 11
Concentrate – 2 cans
Sugar – 8 cups (4 lb)
Yeast Nutrient – 5 tsp
Ascorbic Acid – 5/4 tsp
Acid Blend – 6 tsp
Yest (71B-112 Saccharomyces Cerevisiae) – 1 packet

Specific Gravity = 1.092

I see a note that says for white Wines. when racking should add 1/2 Campden tab/gallon.

Campden slows down yeast.

Yeast starter (for 5 gallon):

• 2 cup water
• 2 table spoon Sugar
• 1/2 tsp nutrient
• 1/4 tsp citric acid
• 1 packet yeast

Mix, shake, add to must next day.

August 5, 2008

Have stirred must each day. SG = 1.006
Must is still bubbling pretty fiercely

August 10, 2008

Moved must into secondary. Nice purple color. added 6 capden tablets. added ~1 gal water to top off. Filled airlock with Gin.

August  16, 2008

Racked wine. added 1 cup water. Still smells of bread.

October 6, 2008

Racked cab, topped off with 1 cup of water.

January 6, 2009

Cab SG = 0.998
Cab has no noticable particulates. Should be stirred at each racking to release CO2.

January 24, 2009

Stirred Cab to release CO2.

April 28, 2009

Bottled the batch. Boiled #9 (45mm x 23mm) corks in water to sterilize. Filled two 3 L bags, 7 375 mL bottles, and 19 750 mL bottles. There was about 300 mL left. No sugar was added.
SG = 0.996 @ 75°F for a finished alcohol content of 12.97%

The tannins are very nice in this wine. The wine looks a little watery, and feels a little weak on the palate. I think that’s the kind of thing that aging fixes. There is still a fruity semi-sweet aspect that is pleasant and not overwhelming. It’s definitely right to characterize this wine as ‘young’.

I’m not sure how long to age the wine for. I suppose trial and error is the way to go.

Powell and I bottled our Cabernet Sauvignon last night. We noticed very much that at this stage it feels like a young wine. It still tastes/smells a bit like yeast, which isn’t necessarily bad.

The tannins are very nice in this wine. If I could do it, I’d probably like to have the same level in the scuppernong wine.

The wine looks a little watery, and feels a little weak on the palate. I think that’s the kind of thing that aging fixes. There is still a fruity semi-sweet aspect that is pleasant and not overwhelming. It’s definitely right to characterize this wine as ‘young’. Did I say that already?

Overall, I’m pleased with this wine.  I’m excited to start another.