Potassium Sorbate

[wineview]

I've seen conflicting amounts before bottling. As much as 3.75 tsp. per 5 gallons and as little as 2.5 tsp. What is common?
Thanks

BV

 

[Scooter68]

If your container has directions - follow that. It might be a variation in the strength what you purchased. My last bottle says .25 tsp per gallon.

 

[wineview]

If your container has directions - follow that. It might be a variation in the strength what you purchased. My last bottle says .25 tsp per gallon.

Should it be added at the time of bottling or before?

 

[tradowsk]

Should it be added at the time of bottling or before?

You can add it and kmeta when bottling. Just make sure it's completely dissolved and give the wine a gentle stir so it's distributed.

 

[wineview]

You can add it and kmeta when bottling. Just make sure it's completely dissolved and give the wine a gentle stir so it's distributed.

Great.....thanks.

 

[Scooter68]

Some like to add it 'early on' Personally I prefer to wait until just before I back-sweeten and I do that just before bottling (a week or so) Sorbate has been reported to present off flavors in wine that has been stored for a long period of time (Years not months) so I just prefer to wait. Most of my wine is consumed within 3 years so I haven't had ANY problems with that.

 

[wineview]

I should be more specific. Two weeks ago I bottled a cabernet from my September 2019 batch. I racked three or four times and made a couple of potassium metabisulphite additions over the months. I tried a bottle yesterday and there was a very slight fizz in the background. After looking at my notes I realized I did not add potassium sorbate. The wine fermented down to .996 so I’m not sure how this apparent re-fermentation started. What is the best way to handle this? Uncork, pour into a bucket and add re-hydrated potassium sorbate? Or can I add dry potassium sorbate to each bottle. Thanks.

 

[wineview]

I should be more specific. Two weeks ago I bottled a cabernet from my September 2019 batch. I racked three or four times and made a couple of potassium metabisulphite additions over the months. I tried a bottle yesterday and there was a very slight fizz in the background. After looking at my notes I realized I did not add potassium sorbate. The wine fermented down to .996 so I’m not sure how this apparent re-fermentation started. What is the best way to handle this? Uncork, pour into a bucket and add re-hydrated potassium sorbate. Or can I uncork and add it dry to each bottle> Thanks.

 

[cmason1957]

I should be more specific. Two weeks ago I bottled a cabernet from my September 2019 batch. I racked three or four times and made a couple of potassium metabisulphite additions over the months. I tried a bottle yesterday and there was a very slight fizz in the background. After looking at my notes I realized I did not add potassium sorbate. The wine fermented down to .996 so I’m not sure how this apparent re-fermentation started. What is the best way to handle this? Uncork, pour into a bucket and add re-hydrated potassium sorbate? Or can I add dry potassium sorbate to each bottle. Thanks.

With a wine fermented down to 0.996 and no backsweetening, potassium sorbate isn't the fix for a slight fizz. I really doubt that it started alcoholic fermentation again. It is possible it started malolactic fermentation, but again, not likely. What is more likely is that it was bottled with some residual CO2 in suspension and that your wine required more degassing, either through waiting longer, vacuum racking to help remove it, or agitation to try to force it out.

 

[wineview]

degassing never occurred to me because I do that with a wine whip for about 30 minutes when fermentation is complete. Having said that how would you proceed from here.

 

[cmason1957]

Open each bottle and pour roughly into a decanter, then swish and swirl. Let sit about 30-45 minutes prior to drinking. That time is a SWAG, heavy on the guess.

 

[Johnd]

degassing never occurred to me because I do that with a wine whip for about 30 minutes when fermentation is complete. Having said that how would you proceed from here.

@cmason1957 is on the right track with residual CO2. Whipping for 30 minutes isn't likely to remove all of the CO2 in the wine, time and temp are your best weapons. Allowing your wine to sit under airlock in a carboy or similar vessel for 9 - 12 months seems to always do the trick.

If you have an All-In-One Wine Pump or other mechanical vacuum degassing tool, you can speed up the process considerably and effectively. With the AIO, just a few rackings under vacuum plus a little time seems to always do the trick.

 

[wineview]

Open each bottle and pour roughly into a decanter, then swish and swirl. Let sit about 30-45 minutes prior to drinking. That time is a SWAG, heavy on the guess.

That time is a SWAG, heavy on the guess. I'm sorry but I don't understand your last sentence.

 

[wineview]

@cmason1957 is on the right track with residual CO2. Whipping for 30 minutes isn't likely to remove all of the CO2 in the wine, time and temp are your best weapons. Allowing your wine to sit under airlock in a carboy or similar vessel for 9 - 12 months seems to always do the trick.

If you have an All-In-One Wine Pump or other mechanical vacuum degassing tool, you can speed up the process considerably and effectively. With the AIO, just a few rackings under vacuum plus a little time seems to always do the trick.

The wine was in bulk under an airlock for 8 months. Never had this issue before.

 

[Johnd]

The wine was in bulk under an airlock for 8 months. Never had this issue before.

It's hard to put an exact time on wine, every one is different and behaves in its own fashion. Kits are even harder to predict, they seem to let go of CO2 much more reluctantly than wine from grapes, I've had gassy kits in carboys for over 8 months, not a lot of gas, but still there. I still have a few bottles of my first wine (it was a kit), still has a little fizz, so I decant them before drinking, maybe even cover the decanter spout and give the wine a little shake to help the CO2 be on its way.

With the batch you have bottled, if you don't mind wasting some corks, you could uncork each bottle, apply a vacuum to remove the CO2, and recork them.

 

[sour_grapes]

That time is a SWAG, heavy on the guess. I'm sorry but I don't understand your last sentence.

SWAG = "scientific, wild-assed guess." "Heavy on the guess" means that time frame is very uncertain.

 

[stickman]

@wineview By any chance did you top up with commercial wine after any of the past rackings? Residual sugar common in some commercial wines can cause slight co2 problems like this in bottled wine. I agree with the other comments above that residual co2 from inadequate degassing is probably the most likely cause, but just wanted to point out other possibilities.

 

[Rice_Guy]

depends
10% alcohol = 0.20 gm per liter
12% = 0.13 gm per liter
14% = 0.07 gm per liter

I've seen conflicting amounts before bottling. As much as 3.75 tsp. per 5 gallons and as little as 2.5 tsp. What is common?

personal preference, I avoid sorbate and try to age all wines at least 9 months, ,,, to starve off the yeast.

 

[cmason1957]

SWAG = "scientific, wild-assed guess." "Heavy on the guess" means that time frame is very uncertain.

Exactly what I was getting ready to say, before I saw this. Although I might have said Silly Wild-Assed Guess. What I was hoping to imply was it might be as little as minutes and as much as 3 hours. Trial and error will help you narrow it down.

 

[wineview]

@wineview By any chance did you top up with commercial wine after any of the past rackings? Residual sugar common in some commercial wines can cause slight co2 problems like this in bottled wine. I agree with the other comments above that residual co2 from inadequate degassing is probably the most likely cause, but just wanted to point out other possibilities.

Yes I did top off with commercial wines