RJ Spagnols Unacceptable kit odor in all RJS and WE

[Stressbaby]

If you don't have enough free sulfite in the wine prior to adding the sorbate you can have malo-lactic bacteria (MLB) attack the sorbates producing the geranium off flavor. The sulfite inhibits them. The problem with adding them together is that the potassium metabisulfate does not instantly create free SO2 in the wine the moment you add it so you run some risk of the sorbates being metabolized by the MLB before enough free sulfite is in the wine to prevent it - resulting in a geranium flavor/aroma that can't be removed.

The simple solution is to add the sulfites first (ideally measure your free sulfites level and pH to get the exact amount needed). Then wait several hours ( usually wait 12 hours to be safe) before adding the sorbates. Sorbates are not needed in every wine - as you point out if the wine is not backsweetened and fully fermented you probably don't need them as the sulfites will be sufficient to stabilize the wine.

This reasoning just doesn't add up for me at all.

First, in this and the subsequent post you seem to be suggesting that "kit taste" is due to geraniol.* To me, this is not well established. In fact it seems to me as if geraniol to most people is a distinctly separate, identifiable wine flaw, different from KT.

Second, the biology and biochemistry don't add up. Kit wines don't go through MLF; they have not seen an inoculum of LAB. The wine could have picked up a bit of LAB along the way, but that wouldn't be any different than any other wine which hasn't been through MLF, and nobody seems to have any trouble with sorbate in those wines. Further, proper SO2 management would generally keep those trace LAB at such a negligible level that the amount of geraniol produced in that 12 hours before the SO2 levels are up would be near zero.

*technically hexadienol but now commonly and I think incorrectly "geraniol."

 

[marathon]

Ahhh! my point is that if you buy a kit and it says sauvignon blanc on the box. I now know that you have very little of that grape type in the cheap kits ( or even none) and a variable amount ( you can try and find out how much, but you will not get an answer) in the high end ones. They use some very distinctive grape varieties responsible for kit taste. I had been in discussion with a kit manufacturer and they informed me that you can never buy a pure varietal kit from them. Hence, 'IMO' they are not selling the real thing, but a pure imitation. That is why if you buy the real juice etc it tastes completely different. I know because I was making kits when a company( now no more) did use the real juice only ( from Spain at the time).

 

[Tnuscan]

I'm still "chasing the white rabbit". lol

 

[marathon]

Even the white rabbit could not make a decent kit