Page 16 - Grapevine JanFeb 2022

In The Winery

Send samples to an outside lab for a free sulfur the apparatus’s rubber parts and gives the unit a
dioxide test to see if the results achieved “in house” burned dirty look. For total SO2 the author recom-
are in range with the certified labs. Once accuracy mends the Ripper Method, provided ascorbic acid
is achieved, one may wean themselves off the out- has not been used in the wine or any components
side lab but periodically send a random sample to of the blend. An outside lab may be best for this
an outside lab to pick up on any discrepancies. test in terms of total SO2 as many wines rarely
reach very high total SO2’s with today’s winemak-
Wine samples tested should be at or below 68 ing.
degrees F and preferably at a cool 55 degrees F cel-
lar temperature. Reminders:

Wines abnormally high in volatile acidity and car- • Make sure all chemicals and reagents are stan-
bon dioxide may give false high reading with this dardized and strengths known.
test.
• Make sure only gases transfer in the hoses - not
Water system pressure tanks, with many rural liquids.
water systems, may cause a fluctuation in the vac-
uum source while oscillating between the pressure • Keep a watchful eye on the vacuum to ensure it
switch settings. Be ready to compensate for this is proper and even.
in the lab, adjusting the vacuum if an aspirator is
used. • Be patient and have quiet time to learn this pro-
cedure.
The author does not recommend using this set up
for total SO2 because it is time consuming, hard on • Sulfur dioxide is important. An accurate mea-
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