Home winemaking and campden tablets

[tony]

Hi,
Try this link:
http://www.winemakeri.com/information/glossaries/dictionary/dictionary_c.htm
It will tell you that all they are is sodium metabisulphate for
sterilising..do not use Milton liquid or similar used for babies bottles.
You should be able to get sod. met. at the chemists.
Tony

Any home-brewers out there?
We have just decided to have a go at making some homemade wine for the
first time. All the recipes we have found include the instructions
'add X campden tablets' and I dimly remember the same from when my
mother made the stuff 20+ years ago. The problem is, where do you
obtain these magical tablets? 'In the olden days' we would buy them
(and other related paraphernalia) from Boots but these days they've
never heard of the things. Can anyone suggest where we might look for
them? We live in SE London.
TIA
Sheila Richards

[Kay Easton]

Any home-brewers out there?
We have just decided to have a go at making some homemade wine for the
first time. All the recipes we have found include the instructions
'add X campden tablets' and I dimly remember the same from when my
mother made the stuff 20+ years ago. The problem is, where do you
obtain these magical tablets? 'In the olden days' we would buy them
(and other related paraphernalia) from Boots but these days they've
never heard of the things. Can anyone suggest where we might look for
them? We live in SE London.

You might be able to find them in your local supermarket. I notice ours
(Morrisons) has home winemaking cans and other stuff, but I haven't
looked closely enough to see if they have camden tablets.

[Pickle]

Post by Kay Easton

Any home-brewers out there?
We have just decided to have a go at making some homemade wine for the
first time. All the recipes we have found include the instructions
'add X campden tablets' and I dimly remember the same from when my
mother made the stuff 20+ years ago. The problem is, where do you
obtain these magical tablets? 'In the olden days' we would buy them
(and other related paraphernalia) from Boots but these days they've
never heard of the things. Can anyone suggest where we might look for
them? We live in SE London.

You might be able to find them in your local supermarket. I notice ours
(Morrisons) has home winemaking cans and other stuff, but I haven't
looked closely enough to see if they have camden tablets.
--
Kay Easton
http://www.scarboro.demon.co.uk/edward/index.htm

I do wine-making so if you need any help e-mail me. You can get campden
tablets from any home brew shop. There are several who do online ordering eg
www.art-of-brewing.co.uk or just look in your local yellow pages. 100
campden tabs will cost you a couple of quid. The group rec.crafts.winemaking
is a very friendly NG if there is anything you need to know.
Lisa

[Andy Spragg]

"Pickle" <***@hotmail.com> pushed briefly to the front of the
queue on Thu, 11 Sep 2003 17:39:03 +0100, and nailed this to the shed
door:

^ "Kay Easton" <***@scarboro.demon.co.uk> wrote in message
^ news:NCoSgDTwJKY$***@scarboro.demon.co.uk...

^ > In article <bjprsv$qul$***@newsg2.svr.pol.co.uk>, Paul Richards
^ > <***@talk21.com> writes

^ > >Any home-brewers out there?

(Campden tablets)

^ > You might be able to find them in your local supermarket. I notice ours
^ > (Morrisons) has home winemaking cans and other stuff, but I haven't
^ > looked closely enough to see if they have camden tablets.

^ I do wine-making so if you need any help e-mail me. You can get campden
^ tablets from any home brew shop. There are several who do online ordering eg
^ www.art-of-brewing.co.uk or just look in your local yellow pages. 100
^ campden tabs will cost you a couple of quid. The group rec.crafts.winemaking
^ is a very friendly NG if there is anything you need to know.

From my POV, a timely query indeed, and an interesting response.

First the query. I too do winemaking and have almost never found a use
for Campden tablets. But I don't use recipes. The only time I use them
is if I am making a 5-gallon batch and it is taking several days to
get it together. Then I will add a couple if I am using very ripe
fruit. But it's a double-edged sword - I've more than once had a batch
that I just could not get going, even having waited several days
(presumably because the sulphur dioxide was complexed with the fruit
pulp?). In fact, I am in that situation right now, and would welcome
an opportunity to discuss the matter. But not here. I digress ...

Wilkinson's sell Campden tablets, if you have a Wilkinson's nearby.
There is a great homebrew place in Essex, not to bad for you if you
are in London, and they also do online and phone orders - now I can't
rermember the name, damn ... hold on ... ah, here we are. Spencer's
Homebrew, www.spencershomebrew.com, 020 8868 8405. He is Ray, can't
remember her name. Ultra-friendly and helpful.

Now, to rec.crafts.winemaking. Just a few days ago, I was looking for
the most suitable forum to post a home-made wine question. Best I
could do was alt.homebrewing, and it isn't working out very helpful so
far. I just searched for rcw in my ISP's list and it wasn't there. I
did find rec.crafts.meadmaking in the New Groups list, but that was
it. Aha! Time to refresh the groups list ...and there it was. It
doesn't sound like a group that would have taken until recently to
come into existence, but apparently so. Thanks for the info, I shall
post my query there right now.

Andy

[Jaques d'Altrades]

Post by Andy Spragg
First the query. I too do winemaking and have almost never found a use
for Campden tablets. But I don't use recipes. The only time I use them
is if I am making a 5-gallon batch and it is taking several days to
get it together. Then I will add a couple if I am using very ripe
fruit. But it's a double-edged sword - I've more than once had a batch
that I just could not get going, even having waited several days
(presumably because the sulphur dioxide was complexed with the fruit
pulp?). In fact, I am in that situation right now, and would welcome
an opportunity to discuss the matter. But not here. I digress ...

I'll digress even more then. Molish a starter bockle using (say) a
teaspoon of sugar, a cup of water, a pinch of yeast nutrient, and the
yeast you intend using.

Get the bockle jbexvat vigorously, then add to the mix.

Lesson no 1. Campden tablets are naff.

[Paul Richards]

...(Campden tablets)
First the query. I ... have almost never found a use
for Campden tablets ...

Thanks to everyone for the advice and offers of help!
I have learned many valuable things from this exercise. Here are two
of them:
(i)if you ask staff in our local supermarkets for 'campden tablets',
they look at you like you've grown an extra head
(ii) every recipe and set of instructions for home wine making
contradicts every other one. I think I'm going to enjoy this game...

...>Wilkinson's sell Campden tablets...
They certainly do! Thank you, I now have a fully-functioning set of
campden tablets in my kitchen drawer. Where they might stay...

all the best
Paul

[Eric the Red]

I definitely give Ray @ Spencers homebrew the thumbs up.

Given me plenty of help over the last few years.

Eric.

Post by Andy Spragg
queue on Thu, 11 Sep 2003 17:39:03 +0100, and nailed this to the shed
^ > >Any home-brewers out there?
(Campden tablets)
^ > You might be able to find them in your local supermarket. I notice ours
^ > (Morrisons) has home winemaking cans and other stuff, but I haven't
^ > looked closely enough to see if they have camden tablets.
^ I do wine-making so if you need any help e-mail me. You can get campden
^ tablets from any home brew shop. There are several who do online ordering eg
^ www.art-of-brewing.co.uk or just look in your local yellow pages. 100
^ campden tabs will cost you a couple of quid. The group

rec.crafts.winemaking

Post by Andy Spragg
^ is a very friendly NG if there is anything you need to know.
From my POV, a timely query indeed, and an interesting response.
First the query. I too do winemaking and have almost never found a use
for Campden tablets. But I don't use recipes. The only time I use them
is if I am making a 5-gallon batch and it is taking several days to
get it together. Then I will add a couple if I am using very ripe
fruit. But it's a double-edged sword - I've more than once had a batch
that I just could not get going, even having waited several days
(presumably because the sulphur dioxide was complexed with the fruit
pulp?). In fact, I am in that situation right now, and would welcome
an opportunity to discuss the matter. But not here. I digress ...
Wilkinson's sell Campden tablets, if you have a Wilkinson's nearby.
There is a great homebrew place in Essex, not to bad for you if you
are in London, and they also do online and phone orders - now I can't
rermember the name, damn ... hold on ... ah, here we are. Spencer's
Homebrew, www.spencershomebrew.com, 020 8868 8405. He is Ray, can't
remember her name. Ultra-friendly and helpful.
Now, to rec.crafts.winemaking. Just a few days ago, I was looking for
the most suitable forum to post a home-made wine question. Best I
could do was alt.homebrewing, and it isn't working out very helpful so
far. I just searched for rcw in my ISP's list and it wasn't there. I
did find rec.crafts.meadmaking in the New Groups list, but that was
it. Aha! Time to refresh the groups list ...and there it was. It
doesn't sound like a group that would have taken until recently to
come into existence, but apparently so. Thanks for the info, I shall
post my query there right now.
Andy
--
sparge at globalnet point co point uk
If you interrogate your data for long enough,
she will tell you almost anything.
Simon Singh

[martin]

On Thu, 11 Sep 2003 14:09:41 +0100, "Paul Richards"

Any home-brewers out there?
We have just decided to have a go at making some homemade wine for the
first time. All the recipes we have found include the instructions
'add X campden tablets' and I dimly remember the same from when my
mother made the stuff 20+ years ago. The problem is, where do you
obtain these magical tablets? 'In the olden days' we would buy them
(and other related paraphernalia) from Boots but these days they've
never heard of the things. Can anyone suggest where we might look for
them? We live in SE London.

You can use Aquatabs to sterilise. You can buy Aquatabs in Boots(???),
camping shops, chandlers etc.

[aj]

"Paul Richards" <***@talk21.com> wrote in message news:<bjprsv$qul$***@newsg2.svr.pol.co.uk>...

Snipety...

never heard of the things. Can anyone suggest where we might look for
them? We live in SE London.

...snip

I bought some from Morrisons.
Quite a few supermarkets have a (basic) brewing section. They usually
put it over by the hardware and diy stuff.
Good hunting.
AJ.

[Jaques d'Altrades]

Any home-brewers out there?
We have just decided to have a go at making some homemade wine for the
first time. All the recipes we have found include the instructions
'add X campden tablets' and I dimly remember the same from when my
mother made the stuff 20+ years ago. The problem is, where do you
obtain these magical tablets? 'In the olden days' we would buy them
(and other related paraphernalia) from Boots but these days they've
never heard of the things. Can anyone suggest where we might look for
them? We live in SE London.

My advice is, don't. I only use them for sterilising containers etc.

But sodium hypochlorite is better, as long as you wash everything in
clean water afterwards.

[Franz Heymann]

Post by Jaques d'Altrades

Any home-brewers out there?
We have just decided to have a go at making some homemade wine for the
first time. All the recipes we have found include the instructions
'add X campden tablets' and I dimly remember the same from when my
mother made the stuff 20+ years ago. The problem is, where do you
obtain these magical tablets? 'In the olden days' we would buy them
(and other related paraphernalia) from Boots but these days they've
never heard of the things. Can anyone suggest where we might look for
them? We live in SE London.

My advice is, don't. I only use them for sterilising containers etc.
But sodium hypochlorite is better, as long as you wash everything in
clean water afterwards.

Is that the stuff called "Chlorox"?
I used it extensively in my winemaking and brewing days.

Franz

[Jaques d'Altrades]

Nobody seems to want to mention that the Sodium Metabisulphite stuff can
bring on asthma attacks, and is nasty stuff to use if you suffer arny
breathing difficulties, make sure you're in a well ventilated area would be
my advice.

/snip/

No danger from inhalation - all the sulphur dioxide is bound up in the
salt, and only appears as ions in the wine in any case.

Still, these ions can cause all sorts of problems if you are susceptible.

[Jason Hall]

Post by Jaques d'Altrades

Nobody seems to want to mention that the Sodium Metabisulphite stuff can
bring on asthma attacks, and is nasty stuff to use if you suffer arny
breathing difficulties, make sure you're in a well ventilated area would be
my advice.

/snip/

I found Sodium Metabisulphate very unpleasant to use as a steriliser
and just based on the caustic stink of it I certainly wouldnt want to
add it to sth I intended to drink, whether its "safe" or not. It also
removes the plasticiser from certain plastics used in wine and beer
making causing the plastic to rot.

However.... I dont make wine anymore, only full mash beer so my wort
is sterilised by boiling.

JBH