Sorbate

[Ernest T Bass]

After washing a heap of bottles that I got from a Honky-Tonk I have noticed
that some say "Sorbate added" and others say "No Sorbate added". Is one better than the other. I have learned here that dry wine needs no sorbate, but, if you are going to back-sweeten you need sorbate. Do they only add sorbate if they are going to back-sweeten, what's the deal on 'no sorbate or sorbate added?

Thanks

Semper Fi

 

[ibglowin]

No reason to add sorbate unless you add an F-pac of sorts or some other form of unfermented sugar that could potentially ferment or re-ferment in the bottle.

 

[Duster]

Mikes right, look at potassium sorbate as birth control for the yeast. If your wine is dry (an SG of 0.999 or less) then there is no more food for the yeast and they will die off, however if you back sweeten then you just fed them and they will start reproducing again and consume all the sugar you just added.
Remember the movie “Gremlins, don’t feed after mid-night? Well don’t feed yeast after dry, that is unless you are going for a much higher ABV.

 

[TStarr]

It would appear you add sorbate and s-met or k-met at the same time to avoid a geranium smell being imparted to the wine - but that you leave adding the sorbate/met until immediately prior to bottling, rather than as soon as fermentation finishes and u start the ageing process - is this because sorbate/met is not smell or taste neutral, especially over time, so leaving it until the last possible moment is best?

 

[TStarr]

Nudge nudge

 

[winemaker_3352]

The geranium smell is generated by sorbate and MLF.

If you add sorbate in and MLF occurs you get the geranium smell. Adding the recommended dosage of k-meta will prevent MLF from occurring.