why do we "stabilize" wine that is already 100% attenuated?

I would like to avoid adding any unnecessary chemicals to my wine kit. I'm reading the directions, and wondering why we add all the sulphite and potassium sorbate after the yeast has consumed all of the grape sugars (S.G 1.000 or lower). What are we preventing by adding stabilizing compounds?

If your not going to backsweeten or add any sugar you dont have to add anything if you choose, especially sorbate. A lot of people still add some sulphites as it will help preserve the wine for longer period of time. I have done wines without adding any sulphites at bottling and have consumed them within a year and didn't seem to have any problems. With a wine kit, personally I would follow the directions and add what they suggest.

I never add sorbate to a wine that I"m not sweetening. If the wine is done, sorbate is not needed and it has a distinct flavor.

I do use k-meta, though, on wines that I plan on aging. Potassium metabisulfite is an antioxidant that helps prevent oxidation during racking and it is also a preservative for wine.

Sounds good; I will forgo the sorbate since I'm not backsweetening. I'm an Occam's Razor kind of guy when it comes to adding ingredients to my brews!