What Went Wrong – Top 10 Wine Making Mistakes #8

So what can possibly be left you ask? We have discussed inadequate equipment, cleaning & sanitizing, failure to follow instructions, bad water, poor yeast handling, poor temperature control, and adding sulfite or sorbate at the wrong time. Our next wine making mistake is actually one that often done as a conscious decision based upon a misconception – Leaving out the Sulfite.

Some people believe that they are allergic to sulfites, and want to leave them out of their kits. While this is their option, it’s a bad idea. Yeast make sulfites themselves during fermentation, so no wine can ever be sulphite-free, no matter what.

Without added sulfites the kit will oxidize (similar to how apple slices turn brown) and spoil very rapidly. Oxidation will start in less than 4 weeks, and the wine could be undrinkable in less than three months. If use of the sulfites are omitted but the Sorbate is added, the wine has a high probability of being attacked by lactic bacteria, which will convert the Sorbate into the compound hexadienol, which smells like rotting geraniums and dead fish.

If you have reactions to wine and suspect that you may be allergic to sulfites, please read our article on red wine headaches and levels of sulfite in wine kits for further information on this subject.

Tomorrow’s discussion will focus on stirring your wine.

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