Does everyone use stabiliser in their wines?

[samnorfolk]

does everyone use stabiliser as well as CT in their wines???

 

[nook6]

hi

i do but im a noob lol

Dave

 

[oldbloke]

Didn't used to but had a couple get a bit fizzy so decided to from then on.

 

[bobsbeer]

I do all the time. CT will only stun the yeast not stop them. So to be sure use both.

 

[Moley]

I do all the time because I like to sweeten my wines a little and bottle as medium to medium dry, so it's necessary to prevent re-fermentation.

If you like your wines bone dry then you don't need sorbate.

 

[GAZ9053]

I let mine ferment out so I try not to use em. we prefer a dry red anyway. I do add Potassium metabisulfite.

 

[Tim_Crowhurst]

I generally try to avoid stabiliser. There are two main ways I do this.

The easiest is to kill off the yeast with the alcohol, by letting the wine ferment up to an ABV which is toxic to them. Different strains of yeast have different tolerances for alcohol, and most are at the higher (16-18%) end of the spectrum, but there are a few that will stop at 13% or 14%.

Alternatively you can ferment until all the sugars are used up, then rack off the sediment and leave to mature in bulk in a cool dark place for at least 6 months, so any surviving yeast cells drop out of suspension, then backsweeten and bottle a month or so before you want to drink the wine. Since DJs take up much less space than bottles, and I have a serious space shortage, this also makes storage easier, and it is the best option for slow-maturing wines like sloe, elderberry or rosehip. Alternatively you can refrigerate the wine for at least six weeks. Most yeasts will be killed by this, but lager yeasts and Gervin GV5 won't. The main effect on flavour is to remove excess tartaric acid from overly-acidic wines, and it is better for quick-maturing wines like WOWs.

 

[godfrey]

I don't use anything in my wines

but we like brute not sweet

I have read that stressing the yeast in high ABV
can stress the yeast and as a result give bigger hangover

I have stopped sugar feeding my port now for this reason
but I already let them up to at round 18%

 

[hypnoticmonkey]

Cold storage of wine won't actually kill the yeast, it'll just put it to sleep. Thoughts turn to a bottle of Old Rosie which has been left in the fridge to let all the yeast collect at the bottom!

I use stabiliser in my wine :)

 

[tonyhibbett]

My staple wine is from 30 bottle kits, which always include a stabiliser and I always use it. A lot of research goes into these kits to give you the desired result, which in commercial terms, you like it and buy more of the same. However, when experimenting with fresh and wild ingredients, the use of sulphite and sorbate cuts out the interesting results of wild yeasts and malolactic fermentation, so in such instances, I don't use them.
So far, I have found there is sufficient sulphur dioxide naturally present to keep such wines in good condition for 2 years, which is good enough for me.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

I always use stabiliser as i don't have room to store it for many months and don't like it bone dry.