ARGH! Bottled wine re-fermenting...

[Brewgrrrl]

Okay, I bottled a peach chenin blanc about a month ago that turned out GREAT. It was properly degassed, very clear, and I'd let it bulk age for several months. When I bottled it, I added K-Meta and just a bit of wine conditioner (about 2oz per gallon) and the wine conditioner had potassium sorbate along with the sugars. The finished wine was BEAUTIFUL. So today, I go to grab a bottle for a special dinner... and it's unmistakeable: slight dusting of spent yeast at the bottom of the bottle... little bubbles as the bottle moves around... I pour a glass and it's a bit effervescent... ARGH!!!!!

So - I want to save this wine and I'm willing to do the work. I'm thinking that I need to get all of this back into a carboy with some k-meta and degas again, then wait a bit... but I'd really like someone with more experience to give me some advice...

... so... any advice out there???

 

[AlFulchino]

probably the sorbate could have been old...or not enough used to stabilize when added....also possible not enough time was give for the sorbate to do its job...yes it can be saved...you are on the right track...just keep the k meta level up so that it never has an moment to oxidixe w all the re-handling...so in your scond paragraph i would make sure i re-sorbate in a step all by itself...usually 6 or so grams per 5-6 gallons does the trick..make sure you have fresh p sorbate and give time under airlock to do its job before you ever re-bottle...hope this helps

 

[AlFulchino]

i should add that sterile filtering is another solution for you..i filter my whites ( but not my reds)...but usually you can get away even without filtering a white if you just give it lots of time to settle out and properly rack off lees

 

[Brewgrrrl]

Thanks, Al. I only have a gravity filter (sigh) - I suspect that's not at the sterile level that you are talking about. So - sodium metabisulfite AND potassium sorbate, but it different steps? Could you spell that out a bit more for me since I am still learning? I was picturing emptying the bottles (gently) while mixing the K-meta and then letting it settle for a month or so to make sure it was done. It seems like you are saying that I should not add potassium sorbate at the same time as the K-meta?

 

[Tom]

Personally I like Potassium Metabisulfite over sodium.
Use 1/4tsp for 6 gal and 1/2tsp of Sorbateper gal

 

[grapeman]

In my experience, the sorbate in the wine conditioner is inadequate to stabilize the wine in normal amounts of usage. It is best to add the potassium metabisulfite to the wine, stir and then add the proper dose of the potasium sorbate - let it sit for a bit( a week let's say)and then if you wish sweeten it, let it sit for a week or so to make sure it doesn't ferment and THEN bottle.

 

[AlFulchino]

this is the beauty of a forum such as this..people helping people...and all of us have had things like this happen to us...painful at first...but it teaches us at the same time

 

[Tom]

And boy have we done some in the past..

 

[AlFulchino]

speaking of bonehead moves...the other day i felt some pressure to make room on the cruchpad...so i took 90 gallons of peach must into the winery...one seventy gallon tank and several carboys were filled.....stupid.....went to the house, grabbed supper came back to label some sig blends....and what do i see....one volcano spewing lava...peach lava over the 70 gallon tank...of course detective work showed that this came AFTER the blast off of one air lock and all kinds of peach magna over a wall and shelves....and of course all the carboys did the same thing

why did this occur??? fermentation was still going a bit too strong....and the pressure to move them inside was all from me and the peach wine said...'i'll show you some real pressure'....instead of letting the wine be what it is...i rushed it...never have had a worse mess in all my life

 

[ibglowin]

I bet that fruity peach must didn't like being "manhandled" like that. You need to use your feminine side when you move it next time......

 

[Brewgrrrl]

Okay, I want to be clear here that I ADDED K-meta to the wine when it was bottled, and I ALSO added a commercial "wine conditioner" that had potassium sorbate in it that was supposed to keep the wine from re-fermenting. I don't think that qualifies as a "boneheaded" move.

That said, I am also very thankful for the advice on fixing this problem and preventing it in the future. This is a wonderful forum, very friendly and I appreciate being able to ask questions here. THANKS!

 

[Brewgrrrl]

I guess my "mistake" would be reading directions instead of asking questions here first - I remember about a year ago I was asking a question about oaking with some chips I'd boiled and y'all were like, "OMG - why would you BOIL oak chips???" Um... because the directions on the bag said to... Why would I think that the "wine conditioner" was safe to use at bottling??? Because the directions said it was... boneheaded directions...

 

[grapeman]

Brewgrrl all I know about wine conditioner is that I have used it twice. Twice I have had refermentation in the bottles after adding the conditioner to directions. I didn't care for the taste it gave the wine, and I had fizzy wine. I no longer use wine conditioner- but stabilize on my own with sorbate and k-meta and then add my simple syrup.

 

[Brewgrrrl]

Yep - live and learn. I thought I was going to be saving time by using that product, but this has been ridiculous. Why market something that supposedly has enough potassium sorbate when you know it's not really true? Grrr!

 

[Dean]

the conditioner itself has sorbate in it to inhibit bacterial growth and make it shelf-stable for itself. As soon as you "water it down" in the wine, there is no long enough concentration to prevent fermentation, and then...VOILA!

You need to add a proper dose of sorbate into the wine first, then add conditioner. The sorbate in the conditioner is only for itself.

 

[Brewgrrrl]

Apparently, but that's not what the directions on the bottle said.

 

[Wade E]

As Dean said, yes there is sorbate in the conditioner and its there just to keep the product itself from fermenting, not to keep the product its added to from re-fermenting.

 

[Brewgrrrl]

DIRECTIONS: Before adding Conditioner to any wine verify with a hydrometer that its fermentation is complete (*done*). The wine should be clear and moved off of any sediment into a clean container and ready to bottle (*done - also degassed earlier on*). Add the Wine Conditioner directly to the wine. It is important that the wine be stirred thoroughly to evenly disperse the sugars. MINIMUM DOSAGE: If less than 2 ounces per gallon is used then also add Potassium Sorbate at the rate of 1/4 teaspoon per gallon to eliminate any chance of re-fermentation.

*I used about 2 1/2 oz per gallon in this batch.

I appreciate the advice (which is obviously good advice). My issue is that the product was marketed as a one-step solution but it should have said to ALWAYS add potassium sorbate in addition to the conditioner (not just if you add less than 2 oz/gallon). Once again, I have followed wine product directions and ended up with a problem that is causing more work/hassle/frustration.

 

[Wade E]

Those are newer instructions and I havent used that product in a years so wasnt familiar with but Ive always known to stabilize my wine and then use this product. Im very sorry for your extra work and know 1st hand this hassle.

 

[Brewgrrrl]

Thanks, Wade. Again - it just illustrates the value of this forum, where one can (and should) ask questions BEFORE trying something that's new to them...