Cellar Craft Sorbate

[SPR]

Hi guys

I have been reading articles about the addition or not of this chemical and does it give the wine a slightly sweet background taste? I ask because I noticed this when tasting and wasn't that pleasant

I don't intend adding more sugar or anything so just wondered what your experience is with it and what will likely happen if I omit it. My hygiene is good so don't think risk of infection etc??

 

[ibglowin]

Sorbate is packaged in kit wines as another form of insurance against refermentation in case you didn't ferment to dry. If you back sweeten such as in a white that comes with an f-pack of sorts then you need it. If the wine has been fermented to dry and you have proper levels of sulfites, you have decent amount of cleanliness you can safely omit the sorbate. Some people say they can taste it when added and it has the taste of bubble gum. The taste usually goes away in about 6 months.

 

[heatherd]

I exclude unless I am back-sweetening.

 

[tonyt]

I exclude unless I am back-sweetening.

Same here. But I can't tell any taste difference with or without it. I'm apparently not sensitive to it.

 

[Runningwolf]

Hi guys
My hygiene is good so don't think risk of infection etc??

It's not your hygiene so much as it is your sanitary practices in winemaking.

A lot of wineries are not using sorbate anymore. BUT, with that said, they also have a sterile filtration cartridge that removes all yeast that is pretty expensive. Use sorbate only when adding sugar to back sweeten.