combining pot meta and pot sorbate discussion

shanek17 · May 11, 2012

so iv heard these two additives work best in combination, is there truth to this? From my understanding, it sounds like its important to be using ATLEAST the pot meta to protect the wine but i have some wines that i have no intentions of backsweetining so is the pot sorbate really nesscecary?

rjb222 · May 11, 2012

The kmetta is the most important of the two in wine making. Potassium sorbate has some antibacterial benefits when used as well. Helping to keep certain molds and microbes at bay. You are correct in the fact as long as your wine is fermented to dry and you are not sweetening after ferment is complete then using potassium sorbate is not necessary.

Wade E · May 12, 2012

The problem is with these two is not to use sorbate without a good presence of kmeta. The reason being is that you dont want malolactic fermentation happening if the wine is sorbated as it will produce a nasty geranium smell and taste and kmeta is what keeps MLF (Malolactic fermentation) at bay.

shanek17 · May 12, 2012

Wade E said:
The problem is with these two is not to use sorbate without a good presence of kmeta. The reason being is that you dont want malolactic fermentation happening if the wine is sorbated as it will produce a nasty geranium smell and taste and kmeta is what keeps MLF (Malolactic fermentation) at bay.

no kidding! thats great to know about. i was worried at one point about my wine going through mlf and having the geranium flavour in there. but i did not realise the k meta takes care of that!