Campden tablets or potassium sorbate

[rita36]

I'm ready to bottle my muscadine wine. Should I use campden tablets or potassium sorbate ? How much of it do I use and can I bottle directly after adding it to the 5 gallons of wine ? Thank yall

 

[Julie]

Those are two different chemicals. Use campden but if you are planning on backsweetening your wine, use them both.

 

[cpfan]

rita36:

Campden is potassium metabisulphite (aka K-meta). As Julie said, it is a different chemical and is used for different purposes than potassium sorbate.

Without knowing more than you have said, it's difficult to answer your question. If you haven't added K-meta/campden already, you probably should add some. If you are sweetening before bottling, then sorbate should be used.

Steve

 

[seth8530]

Might be a bit early to bottle this year's wine eh?

 

[garymc]

Yep. Not enough info in the original post. Never thought I'd be saying that.

 

[rita36]

Thank you . I have racked twice and it's been two months since I made it. I decided to rack again tonight and let sit again for a while. It's not as clear as I would like. Added campden before I decided to rack and leave it again. Used a recipe from E.C Kraus but it's not clear enough to suit me.

 

[rita36]

I was ready to bottle because the recipie said to wait 6 weeks. I hope adding the campden didn't hurt it since I decided to wait

 

[peaches9324]

no not at all Camden or k-meta is a preservative and you actually need it to age in the carboy as well as in the bottle

 

[rita36]

What should I do to help it clear it up ?

 

[seth8530]

Give it some time, that is typically the most helpful thing you can do for your wine.

 

[rita36]

Thanks ! Lol ! I don't have much patience

 

[garymc]

If you used pectic enzyme before you pitched the yeast, then the cloudiness is probably yeast that has not yet died. You didn't say. Have you been taking the specific gravity readings? If so, what are they? Eventually the yeast will die and fall to the bottom and you can rack the clear wine off it. This could take weeks or months. When people tell you to do things on a time schedule, they're doing you a disservice. If you're aging it in the carboy, you should add potassium metabisulfite (Campden) and rack every 3 months or so. There are clearing agents that can be used, but I have no experience with them. I've always just waited. Maybe someone will come along and give some advice on them.

 

[rita36]

Yes used enzyme first then the yeast. I'm thinking it's just gonna take time. It's not pulp just cloudy .

 

[rita36]

I added the campden and maybe it will kill any yeast left over. It was at 1.01 when I racked and the airlock did not bubble anymore after the second racking.

 

[garymc]

Sounds like it's just yeast floating around. Eventually it will settle.

 

[rita36]

Thank you for helping out

 

[DoctorCAD]

Campden will not kill the leftover yeast, nor will sorbate. Both, when used together can keep an already clear wine from restarting if it is backsweetened. The secret is the "already clear" part. When most all yeast is dead or filtered out. it works.

Yeast are very strong critters, been around for thousands of years and your little bit of chemical warfare won't stop them.

 

[grapeman]

If it was at 1.010 it is not done fermenting to dry. The campden will slow it down further. If it is still fermenting, it will still be creating more C02 and keep it cloudy. You can try to let it sit for a while and see if the bubbles begin again in the airlock but the k-meta may keep it from actively finishing fermentation. You could try to give it a good stirring and warm it up to about 70 F. That might get it to finish. Then you could rack it, degas it and add at least the campden again. If you want to sweeten, then add the sorbate also.

 

[rita36]

I'm thinking it may need warming up some. Been maybe at 68.