Honey that is local and natural without any additives or introduced fungicides/antibacterial compounds are best. Raw honey that has not been pasteurized, clarified, or filtered—provided it is of the highest nutritional quality and safety—is your best choice. Look for honey that states "100% pure on the lable or buy it from a farm market who has their own bees.
Raw honey, for example, contains small amounts of the same resins found in propolis. Propolis, sometimes called "bee glue," is actually a complex mixture of resins and other substances that honeybees use to seal the hive and make it safe from bacteria and other micro-organisms. Honeybees make propolis by combining plant resins with their own secretions.
I do not normally boil the honey I use because heating honey in the microwave alters its taste by increasing its hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) content and boil may also increase the HMF as well. Other phytonutrients found both in honey and propolis have been shown to posssess cancer-preventing and anti-tumor properties. These substances include
caffeic acid methyl caffeate,
phenylethyl caffeate, and
phenylethyl dimethylcaffeate. Researchers have discovered that these substances prevent colon cancer in animals by shutting down activity of two enzymes,
phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C and
lipoxygenase. When raw honey is extensively processed and heated, the benefits of these phytonutrients are largely eliminated.
http://www.whfoods.c...odspice&dbid=96 also recommends Honey to be stored in a cool dry place and it will keep almost indefinitely. One reason for this is that its high sugar content and acidic pH help to inhibit microorganism growth. Honey that is kept at colder temperatures tends to thicken, while honey that is kept at higher temperatures has a tendency to darken and have an altered flavor. Also; Do not feed honey-containing products or use honey as a flavoring for infants under one year of age; honey may contain
Clostridium botulinum spores and toxins that can cause infant botulism, a life-threatening paralytic disease. Honey is safe for children older than 12 months and adults.
I would NEVER add potassium metabisulfide (Campdon Tablets) to any wine that you want to be natural product; or for use by sulfur sensitive persons where it may cause severe allergic reactions. Many people are allergic to sulfur and sulfur drugs; so keep that in mind when sterilizing or introducing the chemical into your wine. The chemical reacts to create sulfur dioxide gas (SO[sub]2[/sub]) which is an anti-organic anti-bacterial agent which will kill all bacteria and yeasts and the SO2 will remain in solution during consumption of the wine. 24 hours will not eliminate the SO2 and Sulfur allergic people will have adverse reactions with doses lower than 30 parts per million. So that chemical should never be used to do anything other than sterilizing a containter followed by a good rinse and drain.
If for some reason like you want to add sugar to a wine it is better to add the surplus sugar before the frementation; not after the fact. Yeast will naturally fall down to the bottom of the carboy as the wine finishes over a few months. If you carefully rack the wine above the sediment and do not disturb the yeast then there will be very little yeast in your bottled wine. But yeast is not bad---it is a good food product and I enjoy drinking new wine with the yeast still in solution.
