rickthebrew wrote:
I normally just use a campden tab - haven`t had any problems so far - what does the potassium sorbate do?
When racking, most yeasties are already dead or dormant and are falling to the bottom of the jar. It only needs a few survivors and if there is any sugar left or if you add any more to back-sweeten a wine before bottling, those yeasties would multiply to give you a bottle fermentation. This could be desirable if you wanted a sparkling wine, in the same way that you would prime a beer to get a fizz. A campden will finish off most of those who are just sleeping. Sorbate will prevent any survivors from reproducing.