Stabilizing with Sodium Benzoate

Question for the Tech and Chemical Gurus in the group. I realized, as I was ready to sweeten and bottle 2.5 gals of a berry medley, that I was out of Sorbate. I did have for some reason Sodium Benzoate on hand. Quick web research led me to use it instead of Sorbate.

Anyone have any experience using this or maybe concerns to share. It's only 12 bottles and a few 1/2 bottles so I could open and rebottle if needed but I couldn't find any info as to whether you can add Sorbate after having added the Benzoate to the wine.

Thanks, Mike

Not a clue, but here is a nudge to bring your question back on top of the list. Maybe someone with knowledge will see it this time!

If no answeres I would just keep an eye on the bottles for corks forcing their way out. Assuming you back sweetned that is.


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Jack Keller mentions sodium benzoate:

Another stabilizer is sodium benzoate, sold as a chemical or as Stabilizing Tablets. Its action is much the same as potassium sorbate. One crushed tablet per gallon of wine, added in conjunction with one crushed Campden tablet per gallon, is usually sufficient to stop fermentation. It can be added to the wine at the same time as sweetener and just before bottling, although I recommend allowing the wine to sit for several days after stabilizing to allow any dead or dying yeast to settle out as lees. It is less obnoxious, in my opinion, than potassium sorbate, but it does contain sodium. Use your own judgment.

Here's a thread that's good:
http://www.winepress.us/forums/index.php?/topic/17331-sodium-benzoate/

"The Benzoate gives a somewhat "brighter", cleaner tasting wine."
"The "commercial" world has rules, and one of those rules is that Benzoate cannot be used. As always, rules don't have to make sense but they_do_ have to be followed. Home winemakers are not bound by these rules and can therefore do as they think best."

It seems that a good amount of sugar covers the differences between the stabilizers, so I guess it's wine-dependent. I would not be opposed to using it...

NO - THE ANSWER IS A RESOUNDING NO! I came home afterwork Friday and headed straight to the winehouse only to find an un-corked bottle laying in a puddle of wine in the center of the room. While at least the bottle didn't break, it did spray walls, chairs and Carboy shelves not to mention the sticky film it left everywhere. Luckily I decided to move all of the bottles to my sink to un-cork before cleaning up because the first bottle I pulled from the rack blew it's cork and sprayed more on the wall and carboys below. At least nothing broke and an hour or so of cleaning up while enjoying a few glasses of "sparkling berry wine" made it a fairly pain fee lesson learned. NOTE TO SELF, ALWAYS HAVE POTASSIUM SORBATE ON HAND.
Mike

Oohhh nooooooo

I know this is an old thread but I wonder since it was never mentioned - was a Campden tablet(s) also used or just the Sodium Benzoate? Additionally what quantity of SB was used. Without all the facts it's hard to know if the SB really failed, was the amount used insufficient, old chemicals, or was the other needed component - Campden tablet not used? Campden tablets - Sodium Metabisulfate (Meta-K etc) is not mentioned in anyone's posts on this thread.

Know this is nit picking but again without all the information....

Hi Scooter, just saw this and I don't have notes in front of me but I do remember adding campden tabs before bottling. I've only been making wine for 4 years but this was the only time I've had a problem back sweetening and the Sodium Benzoate was the only thing different in my process. I know it doesn't absolutely prove it was the problem but I'm sure enough that I'd never use it again. These days, if I didn't have the correct chemicals, I'd just wait until I did before bottling.
Mike

Thanks for the response.

What is interesting is that I found at least one source that stated that Sodium Benzoate is a better stabilizer for Fruit (other than grape) wines. Of course the more practical issue is that I can't find anyone who carries it for wine use (in tablet form) and the sources I do find don't clearly state the strength of their product so determining how much to use is a recipe for a mess just like you are talking about. Guess I'll stick with the known product.

I know I'm coming in years late to this conversation, but I thought I would add my knowledge to fill the gaps. Sodium or Potassium Benzoate can be used successfully as a stabiliser, together with metabisulphite, when dosed at the same rate as you would dose sorbate. The pro's are that it doesn't leave a residual flavour (some people pick up on it, others don't), it is effective for far longer than sorbate which is known to lose effectiveness after only a few years from dosing, and it doesn't suffer the atrocious shelf-life issues that inflicts sorbate (I only use sorbate that is within six months of manufacture).

The con is that both sodium and potassium benzoate combine with ascorbic acid in your wine to form benzene, which is a carcinogenic substance. The amount produced is usually well within the legal "safe limits", but this is why many countries do not allow it to be used in commercial wines. Which is a pity, as it is otherwise a far more preferable stabiliser than sorbate. The best option, in my opinion, is sterile filtration through a 0.4 micron filter. Then you can backsweeten 'til your heart's content without fear of refermentation. Unless, of course, your filter or filtration medium isn't sound...

Peter Myers said:

The best option, in my opinion, is sterile filtration through a 0.4 micron filter. Then you can backsweeten 'til your heart's content without fear of refermentation.

Click to expand...

Afraid the answer to this is "do you feel lucky?" I sterile membrane filter my sweet wines and also add sorbate for a second line of defense. Note that this is with commercial equipment in a commercial winery and I've still had the rogue lot (strawberry) try to referment. Strawberry spritzer, anyone?