It’s a Good Question
At the Wine Cellar in Kitchener, we get asked often, what kind of water should you use for your wine kit? You may be surprised by the answer. At most grocery stores in Ontario, you can choose between distilled and spring water. In addition to what you might find bottled, tap or “city water” is always an option.
Distilled Water Can Disrupt Fermentation
When it comes to wine kits, there are two “no no’s” regarding what type of water to use. Distilled water at first glance may seam to be the best solution as it is water with hard minerals removed, a blank canvas for wine kits to paint with flavor. However, distilled water can mess with the fermenting process, acting like a dry sponge that continues removing important qualities that good wine needs. City suppled water can be the best or worst choice depending on what is added to it, or what geography has already done. For example, fluoride doesn’t belong in wine and “supper hard” or “super soft” variations also have consequences to flavor and the fermenting process.
Remove Toxins and Chemicals
The most important things to make sure are not in your water are chlorine, microbes and any obvious toxins like lead or pesticides. If you choose to use tap or “city water” it’s both cheep and may be your best choice under the right conditions. Most cities stopped adding fluoride to the water supply in the early nineties, and if you are worried about toxins, a good charcoal filter will remove 99.9% of everything you don’t want in your wine. Some filters can be mounted right on the faucet or garden hose, while others can be part of your home plumbing system. A Britta filter will also do the job but will take a lot longer.
The examples of different water filtration systems in this post are shown for example purposes only. We are not recomending these brands or models. You should choose for your self what system is best for you.
Filtered City Water
The short answer is bottled spring water from the grocery store is probably ok as long as you check with the manufacturer to learn about how much chlorine it contains. However, the filtered tap water is most likely the best choice, and it’s the most cost effective.
