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Winemaking knowledge of chemistry. While a chemistry background is helpful in winemaking, it isn't a prerequisite. Even though nearly everything we do with wine deals with chemistry and biochemistry, we do not need to understand these reactions on a molecular level to make use of the results. W Like so many wine lovers, I enjoy cooking, but I've never taken a cooking class in my life. Despite this, I can still crank out a mean pot of gumbo (albeit a beer dish). I can do it from memory, adjust- ing the ingredients by taste. But for the first pot of gumbo I ever made, I followed a recipe to the letter, carefully measuring every ingredient. This recipe provided a proven starting point from which to build my knowledge and, eventually, my own style. Wine has far fewer ingredients than a pot of gumbo. An ingre- dients label for wine might simply read: grape juice, yeast and sulfur dioxide. In the wine cellar, the winemaking process could be pretty straightforward in regards to the amount of yeast and when and how to add it, but when it comes to sulfur dioxide, there are an endless number of caveats. When and how much sulfur dioxide to add are probably the most-often-asked ques- tions from beginning winemakers. Why does this one ingredient have to be so complicated? One thing is for sure: If gumbo had an ingredient as complex as sulfur dioxide, I would never have attempted it in the first place. E. Beaver & Co. Largest supplier of UPS/Fed Ex approved packaging on the East Coast. 375 ml through 6 L in stock and ready f or immediate delivery. Call f or pricing. (718) 324-7288 Fax: (718) 231-3572 www.ebeaver.com Your Source for Quality Label Printing Award Winning Custom Pressure-Sensitive Labels Digital • UV Flexo • Letterpress • Foil Stamping Paper & Film Stocks • "Ice Bucket" Labels Luminescent Effects on Foil & Silver Film Stocks UV Coating • Lamination Personalized One on One Customer Service 2 Witte Lane, Great Meadows, New Jersey 07838 T: 908.637.8188 • F: 908.637.8189 • C: 908.963.7703 classicimpressions@embarqmail.com Wines & Vines MAY 2011 61 How Much SO2 to Add and When The first installment of a two-part series covering essential practices for winemakers By Chris Stamp inemakers come from many different disciplines. I've known English teachers, architects, plumbers and even philosophy majors who were all excellent winemakers. Another thing they all had in common was a weak Wine East HIGHLIGHTS: • • • How much sulfur dioxide to add and when are probably the most- asked questions from beginning winemakers. The author explains the difference between free sO2 as well as the importance of pH in the efficacy of sO2 WineEast and bound sO2 . Additions pre-fermentation and immediately post-fermentation are discussed. sO2 during aging and bottling will be covered in part two. Like sulfur dioxide, electricity can be pretty complicated, but we all use it successfully, and so I believe we can do the same with sulfur dioxide. This article provides a strategy for the successful use of sulfur dioxide in winemaking, allowing for its caveats while providing a recipe of sorts as a framework into which you may weave your experience, individual requirements and style. The most important additive Sulfur dioxide (SO2 for short) is by far the most important additive used in wine. Many times it is the only additive. Its value derives Recipe for: Wine Ingredients: Grape juice Yeast Sulfur dioxide