Wine bottling noob question

[tellish33]

I'm getting ready to bottle 2 three gallon batches tomorrow. I have bottled beer before with no problem.

Is this the right steps: 1)add potassium sorbate, 2)backsweeten to taste and 3) bottle.

Should I transfer the wine to a bottling bucket then add the sorbate and backsweeten then bottle just like you do when filling beer bottles or should I do everything in the carboy and fill the wine bottles straight from the carboy.

 

[brazedowl]

That's how I always do it, but the general wisdom is to rack one last time onto the sorbate, backsweeten and see if fermentation restarts. How much sorbate are you using? I also add a campden tablet for each gallon.

 

[tellish33]

I think its 1 1/2 tsp (1/2 tsp per gallon). What does the campden tablet do?

 

[Yooper]

I think its 1 1/2 tsp (1/2 tsp per gallon). What does the campden tablet do?

It's mostly an antioxidant, but sorbate works better in the presence of sulfites/campden.

I would NOT recommend stabilizing, sweetening, and bottling the same day. I probably wouldn't even recommend doing it the same week!

You want to make sure the wine has not dropped any lees at all for at least 60 days, and is completely clear. Then, you rack into the sorbate/campden (mixed in a little water) and let it sit. After three days or more, you can sweeten. Then, after three days or more, you can bottle. I do use a bottling bucket with wine- it's so much easier!

You really want to ensure the sulfite/sorbate stabilizing works before bottling. Otherwise, you WILL pop corks and/or explode bottles.

 

[tellish33]

Thx Yooper. We made the wine the first week of January. I have racked them twice since. These are my first wines but they do seem to be pretty clear and not to be dropping any more lees. I will rack onto the sorbate/campden mix and wait three days before sweetening. Thx again.