experts advice needed on Potassium Sorbate?

[Glideman]

I'm just finishing my first batch of WOW & have transferred it to a keg ready for carbonating. As I don't like using chemicals in my homebrew I was wondering if it's necessary to use Potassium Sorbate in my wine? I have added 5 camden tablets to a 5 gallon batch when I keged it & filtered it.

 

[adomant]

Potassium Sorbate and Sodium Metabisulphate (Campden) are usually added together in order to kill off fermentation activity so that the wine can clear. One stops the yeast from growing but wont stop active fermentation and the other kills any active fermentation (can't remeber which way round that is)

 

[GREBO75]

Are you going to carbonate it by introducing CO2 artifically, or by priming with more sugar for a little more fermentation? If the latter then don't add Potassium Sorbate as it will kill the yeast and you won't get any carbonation at all.

 

[Glideman]

I'm going to use my cornie keg and C02 to force carbonate it.

Thanks for the reply's, so I assume it's not essential as long as I used the campden tablets? I don't need to clear the wine as it's been filtered and clear.

I'm new to this wine thing :wha:

 

[GREBO75]

Are you sure fermentation has finished and all the sugar is used up? I've had a couple of batches of wine start fermenting again after bottling (when I didn't use any Potassium Sorbate) and ended up with some fizzy wine accidentally. If you've already carbonated it and this happens then you could get some burst bottles.