Two quuestions about adding Potassium Sorbate

[BernardSmith]

How important is it to add potassium sorbate to boiling water before mixing with the wine? Can it be dissolved in warm or even cool water? And does the potassium sorbate need to be added specifically to water or could I add it to a flavor pack made up of concentrated fruit juice and sugar syrup and add that this sweetener together with K meta to wine I want to stabilize and sweeten?
Thanks

 

[Bartman]

Hmm, I hope that adding sorbate to boiling water isn't a requirement because I have never done that. I don't think it needs to be boiled or to be added exclusively to water to be 'activated'. Just get it mixed into wine before bottling, is what I have always done. Some will take a small sample of the otherwise finished wine (~ 1 cup), dissolve the sorbate into that and add it back to the carboy.

 

[Julie]

don't boil it. all you need to do is add to the wine and stir.

 

[saramc]

Water of any temp will dissolve the sorbate. When dissolved in water, potassium sorbate (CH 3 CH=CHCH=CHCOOK) breaks into sorbic acid and ionic potassium. It is sorbic acid that has selective anti-fungal, anti-microbial properties along with yeast inhibitory effect.

Sorbic acid itself is soluble in alcohol but virtually insoluble in water. However, potassium sorbate, a salt of sorbic acid, is very soluble in water and virtually insoluble in alcohol. This is why sorbate is dissolved in water and used to carry the sorbic acid into the wine.

 

[BernardSmith]

As always, many thanks for your responses. So to be safe, I need to dissolve the K sorbate in water and mix the solution into the wine, then add K meta and then the additional sweetening.

 

[jswordy]

I do everything wrong - I sprinkle yeast on the must, I add sorbate directly and stir it in, I pour granulated sugar into the carboy and stir it up to back sweeten. How the heck do I still wind up with wine, is what I want to know?

 

[ibglowin]

Instructions from the kit manufacturer:

34.
Add contents of pouch #2 potassium sorbate and pouch #3 potassium metabisulphite.
a. Stir two minutes to dissolve.

I am sure it wouldn't hurt to dissolve first in some warm water but not necessary.

 

[Runningwolf]

Jim you're awesome and once again it goes to show there is more then one way to reach the same goal. Myself, I always add sorbate to warm water first to dissolve it at home and at work. I also do the same with sugar when back sweetening at home. At work, I have a mixing tank that i can add the sugar to and circulate the wine untill all is dissolved. Without that, there is no way all the suger would dissolve on its own.

 

[Boatboy24]

I've never dissolved it - never even heard of dissolving it. I guess there really is more than one way to skin a cat!

 

[Arne]

I usually add it when racking. Put k=meta and sorabate in the recieving carboy, rack on top of it and unless there is some that doesn't disolve, leave it. Have had sorbate float on top, but a quick stir and it disolves. Seems like it has always worked ok, this way. Arne.

 

[crabjoe]

don't boil it. all you need to do is add to the wine and stir.

I just added it to a sauvignon blanc made from that miracle wine kit and I'm having a heck of a time trying to get it dissolved. The FG on it was .990.

Could the ABV make a difference? Can I add more, or maybe I should ask, if I should I more. I added 2.5 tsp to 5 gallons.

 

[cmason1957]

No you should not add more, adding more potassium sorbate than called for can lead to a bubble gum taste in your wine. I always do what Arne does and put the K-Meta and K-Sorbate on the bottom of a receiving carboy and rack on top of it. Sometimes, if I am bored, I get about a gallon of liquid in the receiving carboy, pick it up and shake it real good. For you, stir, stir, stir. It will go into suspension. As I recall directions are to mix it with a small amount of water and pour it into the receiving wine.

 

[Arne]

@ cmason1957 Directions? Whats the fun of directions? lol, Arne.

 

[user 36973]

I'm having a heck of a time trying to get it dissolved.

Next time you'll want to dissolve it in some warm water, let the water solution stand for a couple minutes and then stir it in to the wine. The solution will go from cloudy looking to perfectly clear and slightly yellow when it is ready to pitch.

I've found that if I don't let it have a chance to fully dissolve then a significant amount of the sorbate crystals end up floating on top of the wine and get filtered out later, leaving my wine underdosed with sorbate.