Whenever I talk to a new vintner, I always stress the
importance of cleaning and sanitizing everything that touches
your wine. Why do I do this? It's simple. The
number one reason for a failed wine is not using clean
and sanitized equipment!
The first thing to consider is that there
is a difference between cleaning and sanitizing. Cleaning
is the process of removing all of the visible matter from
your wine making equipment and bottles. Sanitizing is the
process of removing all of the bacteria that could spoil
your wine.
As a point of reference, sterilizing refers
to a process whereby all living microorganisms are eradicated.
Sanitization, on the other hand, refers to a process that
reduces the quantity of living microorganisms to an acceptable
level. For wine making, we are concerned with sanitizing
to the point that the remaining living microorganisms will
not affect our wine.
Some of the products available to clean
and/or sanitize your wine making equipment are the following:
- B-Brite - cleans and sanitizes
- C-Brite - cleans and sanitizes
- OxyClean - cleans only
- Potassium Metabisulfite - sanitizes only
Please note: DO NOT USE
DISWASHING CLEANERS! They tend to leave
a filmy residue which you do not want.
When cleaning, I use a carboy brush, a bottle brush, a
plastic bristle brush (like the ones they sell on the kitchen
utensil aisle of the supermarket) and my hands. The use
for the carboy and bottle brushes is obvious. I use the
plastic bristle brush on the bucket and spoon. To clean
the siphon and tubing, I just use my hands.
To properly sanitize, prepare a 1-2 gallon mixture of
B-Brite, C-Brite, Bleach or Potassium Metabisulfite. For
B-Brite or C-Brite, mix 1 tablespoon per gallon of warm
water. For Bleach, mix 1 part bleach to 9 parts water.
When using Potassium Metabisulfite, add 3 tablespoons per
gallon (2 oz.).
You can increase the effectiveness of the sulfite solution
by adding an equal amount ot Citric Acid.
All of the mixtures above can be re-used and will keep
throughout the day. If you store your sulfite solution
in a stoppered vessel, it will keep for several months.
I always keep a sulfite solution stored in a carboy with
an airlock in my wine cellar. That way it is always ready
and when I get the urge to sample my wines, I can dip the
wine thief in the sulfite solution and start sampling!
To clean my bottles, I soak them for several days in OxyClean,
then remove the labels. When I am ready to bottle, I rinse
them with the sulfite solution. The sulfite solution adds
a little more sulfite to the wine, without affecting the
flavor.
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