# Sulfite vs Sorbate



## scubaman2151 (May 22, 2008)

What is the difference between sulfite's and sorbates? Which is used usually every other racking? When you say a wine is stable how does this apply to adding sulfite or sorbate? Which is used to stop fermentation totally so you can add sugar?


I have a foggy idea on all these answers but looking for a more definitive answer.


Thanks guys,


Scuba


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## jcnoren (May 22, 2008)

Good question. Curious myself.
JC


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## K&GB (May 22, 2008)

Scuba,


Sulfite (K-meta) is added after fermentation and every few months during bulk aging. It's a preservative that serves many purposes, such as preventing bacterial spoilage and minimizing oxidation. Sorbate (K-sorbate) prevents yeast from multiplyingso we add it before we back-sweeten or if there's residual sugar after fermentation.


We stabilize wine after fermentation by adding K-meta and K-sorbate. This prevents spoliage and re-fermentation. I think this step issometimes referred to as hot stabilization. Cold stabilization is another matter that involves lowering the temperature of the wine so that excess tartaric acid will precipitate out as crystals. This prevents "wine diamonds" from forming when you refrigerate the wine after bottling.


Ken


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## grapeman (May 22, 2008)

Ken has the answer pretty well stated for you so I won't bother to try to!I'm not sure of the hot-stabilization. I have never heard that term before, but then at my age I hear a lot of things and just don't remember.


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## Wade E (May 22, 2008)

Sorbate should also be used when there is enough S02 in the wine as sorbate alone will not prevent re-fermentation. Cold stabilization is also used to stop a wine from fermenting dry when you are trying to end up with a slightly sweeter wine. You chill the wine down to almost freezing temps while the wine is fermenting for a few weeks and then add k-meta and sorbate and should filter the wine also to help get rid of any excess yeast that can come back to life once temps get warm enough again.


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## K&GB (May 22, 2008)

I read about hot stabilization in Lum Eisenman's The Home Winemaker's Manual, found under "Resources" on the FVW Home Page. But I remembered it wrong. Mr. Eisenman refers to hot stabilization as fining with bentonite to prevent protein hazes which can form when wine is exposed in hot temperatures, such as during shipping. Here's a couple ofexcerpts below.


Winemakers call protein haze "hot instability" because warm storage conditions trigger the phenomena. A graphic demonstration of hot instability can be easily produced by leaving a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc in a car trunk on a hot summer day. 





*Hot Stabilization *


Commercial wine is shipped long distances in warm weather, and under these conditions, protein instability causes hazes to form in white or blush wine. Protein hazes are very unsightly, and the wine industry considers excess protein removal an indispensable treatment for all white and blush wines. 


Excess protein is not difficult to remove from most wines, but sometimes Sauvignon Blanc wines can be difficult to stabilize completely without damaging aromas and flavors. The standard treatment for all new white and blush wines is to fine with bentonite. 




*Combined Hot &amp; Cold Stabilization *


All white and blush wines require both hot and cold stabilization treatments, and some winemakers combine both stabilization procedures into a single operation to reduce handling. First, the wine is fined with bentonite, and then the wine is immediately chilled to about 27 degrees. The wine is held at the cold temperature for a week or so while the tartrate precipitates. When the excess tartrate is gone, the cold wine is racked or filtered off the bentonite and tartrate lees.


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