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Sulphur Dioxide (SO2) additions using Potassium Metabisulphite


by Charles Plant

This table gives the volume in mL of 10% potassium metabisulphite solution needed to add a desired amount of sulphur dioxide to a known volume of must or wine.

Using the Table

  1. Locate the volume of wine or juice you want to treat (across the top of the table in the red or green rows).
  2. Locate the desired ppm of SO2 you require (down the left side in orange text.)
  3. The intersecting cell of this row and column displays the correct amount of 10% solution to add.

Preparing a 10% Potassium Metabisulphite Solution

The solution is made by adding sufficient water to 100 grams of Potassium Metabisulphite to bring the total volume to precisely 1 Litre. Store this solution in a tightly sealed clean glass container.

Determining SO2 requirements

If you're new to winemaking, or don't yet understand how to determine your requirements, the following figures can be used as a loose rule of thumb.

For bulk aging

  • Red wines: 20-30 ppm.
  • Dry white wines: 30-40 ppm.
  • Sweet white wines: 80-100 ppm.

At bottling

  • Red wines: 10-20 ppm.
  • Dry white wines: 20-30 ppm.
  • Sweet white wines: 50-60 ppm.