Sorbate and mlf a bad combo?

[Gmichaelcellars]

Hi everyone, i just purchased a small quantity of sorbate from Morewine and it states on the package that sorbate is not to be used on wines which have completed malo fermentation because the combination produces geranium like fragrances in the wine...Any thoughts and opinions on this subject? Thanks in advance.

 

[GreginND]

It will ruin the wine. The geranium smell is due to ML bacteria feeding on the sorbate producing molecules which are quite rancid. Don't risk it! I recently tasted a wine with this flaw and it was pretty awful.

 

[Gmichaelcellars]

Thanks Greg. Appreciate your feedback.

 

[altavino]

Sorbate should only be used on sweet wines to prevent refermentation.

And yes if you mlf a sorbated wine it will produce off flavors that will ruin a wine.

Also you should never mlf a sweet wine any way.

A. You need acid to balance sugar
B. MLB and sugar equals higher chance of VA production, yuck!

If you have very high acid grapes ( ie 12 g/l plus) you want to Finnish sweet , use a yeast like maurvin b to drop malic acid the so2 sorbate and back sweeten

 

[joea132]

I added sorbate to a slightly back sweetened wine that had gone through MLF and had no problem at all with it at all. I only realized the oversight a month after bottling. That being said I would never do it again! Just goes to prove that it's not a sure thing every time. The wine was actually quite good!