Sediment in my bottled wine

[vernsgal]

I'm noticing a lot of don't sorbate, don't sorbate, don't sorbate posts in different threads. Can someone point me to some good write-ups of the merits and demerits of sorbate in wine?

it's not so much "don't sorbate" as it is "don't sorbate unless you're back sweetening. It's kinda like people putting yeast energizer in their wines when there's no need for it.
Bottom line would be, If sweetening add sorbate, if not,don't

 

[seth8530]

What verns said, plus some people claim they can taste sorbate ( I cant and I dont know too many people who can) Also MLF and sorbate typically dont mix very well ( ml eats sorbate and makes some pretty gnarly off flavours some call it geranium flavour if I recall correctly)

So in essence, if you are not adding sugar back to your wine you should not do it. If you are doing MLF to a wine then you Generally would not use sorbate either.

 

[kevinlfifer]

I can say some of the very BEST wines I have had, both commercial or private label (I like that instead of homemade) have had substantial sediment. I would just let it be this time.

 

[wildvines]

I'd put it back in the carboy and add a new batch of clearing agents.

I filter everything with great results and no loss of flavor and have never had this problem.

Good luck and please post your results.

What kind of filter do you use? I am debating on which one to buy

 

[RCGoodin]

This is the one I use. I only use the #2 filters. It's around $155 on ebay. I used cheaper ones that always wore out.

http://www.ebay.com/bhp/buon-vino-wine-filter

When I replace this one, I will build the in-line one that links to the All-in-One wine pump.

I hope this helps.

NOTE: If I have more than one batch going, I process the "Like" wines through the same filter. Up to 4 batches.

 

[Turock]

It's not that everyone is telling you not to use sorbate---they are saying not to give the wine another dose of it. Unlike more meta, which they WANT you to add they don't want you to give this wine another dose of sorbate. And I agree because over-dosing with sorbate can impart a bubble gum flavor.

Many winemakers don't understand, or under-value, all the things that happen during bulk aging. All these precipitates, haze,etc. are unstable components in wine. GIVEN ENOUGH TIME, all these agglutinate and fall out of the wine, which then gives you a stable wine. Therefore, aging can be thought of as achieving wine stability.

Plus, if you have any volatile esters in the wine, these will drop out too. Many of these are microbial in origin and not considered to be part of varietal character.

Aging stabilizes tannins,pigments, and color. Bitter and astringent compounds may also agglutinate and drop out of wine. But NONE of this can happen if you don't allow enough time.

Our reds are carboy aged a MINIMUM of 1 1/2 years. Whites at least one year and sometimes longer. Even if you filter, you must get the bulk of the sediment out of it in the secondary first. We do not filter anything and our wines are VERY clean--somtimes a touch of sediment in the reds. But our whites are always crystal clear even after refrigeration, without filtering.

Don't get me wrong--I do not oppose filtering but in our early days we tried it and it took some of the flavor away from the wine. But that was a long time ago and filters have come a long way. But as Julie said--you do not NEED to filter. But I say that you DO need to bulk age, even if you don't totally understand the benefits of it.

 

[jamesngalveston]

http://nanaimowinemakers.org/Notes/Sorbate.htm