Copper tubing

[garyp]

Can copper tubing be used in wine making or
will it contaminate the wine . Any response
will be appreciated .

[wdonovan]

I wouldn't. Copper doesn't seem to be resistant to any common acids and though I'm not sure which are present, wine does contain some acids (the sourness in the taste verifies this). Copper will form compounds with the acids and I'd think this less than desirable. Copper also readily combines with many, many different elements. It's the stuff in cheap jewelry that turns your skin green. It just about mixes with anything to form a copper compound.

Old time bootleggers blinded their customers with poisons related to the copper parts of their stills but I believe that the lead solder was the real issue there.

[Thomas]

Copper is dangerous both for the wine and for us, and the pH of wine is mainly what makes it so.