I'm at my wits end. I've been making this for at least 12 years and loved the wine. The past 3 years my wine has become gassy after bottling and I've ended up losing my wine. Yes, I degassed it. I do at least 8 to 10 buckets a year and that's a lot of money. I was wondering if others had this problem with with fresh wine juice. I use potassum sorbate at the end. Considering no longer purchasing it. Please help!
Mosto Bello Italian Juice Gassy
- Thread starter JulieC
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Potassium sorbate does lose its effectiveness with time. How fresh is your sorbate?
Potassium sorbate does lose its effectiveness with time. How fresh is your sorbate?
I guess I meant the sorbate that you used in the batches that went bad.
Yes, I assumed that's what you meant. It's about a year old. Purchased last March. Just so strange that this has never happened in the past.
I think I'd give it more time, every batch is different in terms of gas.
Is it possible to maybe have a late malolactic fermentation going on? I see no mention of SO2, just sorbate which I'm not sure prevents MLF.
I am confused. If you bought the sorbate March 2020 or 2021, you did not use it for the past three years.
Yes, I use it all the time and purchase new every 2 years.I am confused. If you bought the sorbate March 2020 or 2021, you did not use it for the past three years.
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Potassium Sorbate is generally considered to have an effective lifespan of 6 months to a year and most of us err on the low side of that.
@JulieC, additionally, we have no idea how long the packet has been setting on the LHBS shelf. Regardless of what else is determined, I suggest you buy small packets that you will use up within 6 to 12 months.
While sorbate appears to be the culprit, let's ensure we all understand the situation and don't miss a different problem. I went to the Mosto Bello site, but didn't find any details regarding the juices, e.g., what the initial gravity is. Also, it states specifically that the juice will not ferment without added yeast, so the juice is sterilized in some fashion.
While MLF might be the culprit, given that the juice is sterilized, I question if a spontaneous MLF might occur, especially as the juices arrives sulfited. Someone with more experience in that area can chime in.
Do you have a hydrometer? I looked at the equipment package Mosto Bello sells, and it's the first one I've ever seen that doesn't include a hydrometer.
I assume the conditioner is typical, e.g., contains glycerin and oak essence. None I know of contain anything fermentable, so that shouldn't be an issue.
Are you backsweetening, and are you adding K-meta at bottling time?
Suggest unbottling and adding kmeta.
Yes, I have a hydrometer. All good with that. Ending was .99. Back sweetening with wine conditioner.
The final SG was 0.990? [use 3 digits to the right of the decimal as it makes it easier to ensure we understand the reading.]
What is the SG after the conditioner is added? If you didn't record it, you can pop a bottle and check it.
I did not record the SG after adding conditioner. Will do so. Thanks
