Bottling Wine Expert Cab

[NCGrayson]

Greetings All,

I started a wine expert cabernet kit several weeks back. It is scheduled to be bottled this coming Monday, June 3rd. I just learned today that I will be shipped out of town for business the entire month of June. I WILL be ageing this wine longer than 6 months.

Per the directions, it states to add an additional 1.5 grams of metabisulphite powder to prevent oxidation if I am ageing or I need to degas again. I don't see any problems leaving the wine in secondary until I get back at the end of June, and bottling then (someone please correct me if this is NOT a good idea).

My question is this: should I add the 1.5 grams of metabisulphite and degass before I leave for business? Or should I just leave it as is and add the metabisulphate and degas/bottle on the day I return?

Thanks in advance!
Grayson

 

[Cyclman]

I would add it and degass it now, but I don't think it's imerative either way. You are lucky, I loved mine so much not very many bottles survived 6 months. Of course, the older the better.

 

[WilliamSlayer]

I would also reccomend adding now and degassing now. There may be no issues with leaving it for a month, but why take the chance? Also, add a bit of kmeta @ bottling as well, as the kmeta you add now may be gassed off a bit during the bottling process.

 

[DoctorCAD]

The really good thing about wine is that the delays that life throw at you simply make the wine better!!!

Adding a bit of k meta won't hurt, but it may be overkill as long as your airlock is sound and full of water.

 

[TexasWine]

I've left my wine expert kits in the carboy for five or six months with no issues. Didn't even add k-meta other than what was called for in the instructions.

Also, if you're about to bottle, you should have degassed some time ago, right? If my memory serves me correctly, you'll degas those kits after it's been in secondary about 10 days or so.

 

[TexasWine]

I've left my wine expert kits in the carboy for five or six months with no issues. Didn't even add k-meta other than what was called for in the instructions.

Also, if you're about to bottle, you should have degassed some time ago, right? If my memory serves me correctly, you'll degas those kits after it's been in secondary about 10 days or so.

 

[NCGrayson]

Yes. You are correct. I degassed two weeks ago. However, the instructions suggested degassing again when adding the sodium metabisulphite if aging longer than 6 months. So I will degass naturally when stirring in the SMBS.