My wine has “fallen bright” and hasn't bubbled in a long time. It tastes slightly sweet, can I bottle it now? I need to get my jugs empty and ready for harvest that is coming up fast.
Potassium Sorbate kills yeast and is used as a preservative for sweet wine.
Test the sugar level, using a -5 to +5 hydrometer. If the reading is below a -1.5 degrees or -2 degrees brix, then the wine is dry and safe to bottle without sorbate.
If the hydrometer reading is higher than a -1.5, such as a 0 reading or a plus 1 degrees, then there is residual sugar. If you add sugar to sweeten to taste, use cane sugar instead of corn sugar. Calorie for calorie there is twice the taste of sweetness with cane sugar. Dissolve in a small amount of wine with gentle heat. Red or white wine with residual sugar should be treated with sorbate prior to bottling.
Your wine should be brilliant, having fallen bright. Test the SO2 level of the stuck wine with a Titret SO2 test kit. It should be above 80 ppm. If needed, dose the metabisulfite to 80 ppm at the same time you do the sorbate. NOTE: If you do not have proper K Metabisulfite levels at this time and any malolactic bacteria are present, it will consume the Sorbate.
The result is an off taste and an odor of geraniums for which there is no fix. Add sorbate at the rate of 1-2 grams per gallon: 1/2 teaspoon is approximately 1 gram. The density of sorbate is different from one supplier to the next. If you do not have a gram scale, you should probably dose at the higher rate of 2 grams per gallon, which would be approximately 1 teaspoon per gallon.
If you add sorbate without cold stabilizing, allow 24 hours before bottling.
However, the addition of any potassium ion will make the wine unstable and this is why cold stabilization is recommended after adding sorbate.
If you need to cold stabilize in the summer, you will need to utilize a refrigerator unit with a thermostat that will get the temperature below 30 degrees F.
Put glycerin or sufficient alcohol (vodka) in the airlock to prevent freezing. Place the carboy at 20-30 degrees F for 2 weeks or more. Excess tartrates will precipitate from the wine. This mellows the wine by reducing the acid. It will help stabilize the wine by preventing these tartrates from settling out after bottling.
Rack into a clean carboy while cold, adding proper metabisulfite. Top up with wine. If you don't have time to rack while still cold, it is OK. The crystallization of the tartaric acid will not reverse.
If you do not want to use sorbate and have a sweet wine to bottle, use pressure safe bottles such as champagne or beer bottles.
The residual sugar should not exceed 2 percent or a difference of 1.000 on the +5-5 hydrometer.
Our new catalog for 2006 harvest is ready. Call or e-mail to request a copy.
Marcy Mitchell is a wine enthusiast and owner of Fall Bright, The Winemakers Shoppe, visit www.fallbright.com, she can be reached at (607) 292-3995
Test the sugar level, using a -5 to +5 hydrometer. If the reading is below a -1.5 degrees or -2 degrees brix, then the wine is dry and safe to bottle without sorbate.
If the hydrometer reading is higher than a -1.5, such as a 0 reading or a plus 1 degrees, then there is residual sugar. If you add sugar to sweeten to taste, use cane sugar instead of corn sugar. Calorie for calorie there is twice the taste of sweetness with cane sugar. Dissolve in a small amount of wine with gentle heat. Red or white wine with residual sugar should be treated with sorbate prior to bottling.
Your wine should be brilliant, having fallen bright. Test the SO2 level of the stuck wine with a Titret SO2 test kit. It should be above 80 ppm. If needed, dose the metabisulfite to 80 ppm at the same time you do the sorbate. NOTE: If you do not have proper K Metabisulfite levels at this time and any malolactic bacteria are present, it will consume the Sorbate.
The result is an off taste and an odor of geraniums for which there is no fix. Add sorbate at the rate of 1-2 grams per gallon: 1/2 teaspoon is approximately 1 gram. The density of sorbate is different from one supplier to the next. If you do not have a gram scale, you should probably dose at the higher rate of 2 grams per gallon, which would be approximately 1 teaspoon per gallon.
If you add sorbate without cold stabilizing, allow 24 hours before bottling.
However, the addition of any potassium ion will make the wine unstable and this is why cold stabilization is recommended after adding sorbate.
If you need to cold stabilize in the summer, you will need to utilize a refrigerator unit with a thermostat that will get the temperature below 30 degrees F.
Put glycerin or sufficient alcohol (vodka) in the airlock to prevent freezing. Place the carboy at 20-30 degrees F for 2 weeks or more. Excess tartrates will precipitate from the wine. This mellows the wine by reducing the acid. It will help stabilize the wine by preventing these tartrates from settling out after bottling.
Rack into a clean carboy while cold, adding proper metabisulfite. Top up with wine. If you don't have time to rack while still cold, it is OK. The crystallization of the tartaric acid will not reverse.
If you do not want to use sorbate and have a sweet wine to bottle, use pressure safe bottles such as champagne or beer bottles.
The residual sugar should not exceed 2 percent or a difference of 1.000 on the +5-5 hydrometer.
Our new catalog for 2006 harvest is ready. Call or e-mail to request a copy.
Marcy Mitchell is a wine enthusiast and owner of Fall Bright, The Winemakers Shoppe, visit www.fallbright.com, she can be reached at (607) 292-3995
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