Potassium Sorbate Shelf Life

Posted by Jack Keller's WineBlog in General, OtherSep 5th, 2009 | no responses Sorbic acid is used in conjunction with sulfite to render a sweet wine biologically stable so it does not start fermenting again in the bottle, an event that could have explosive consequences. Sorbic acid is stored in a dry form called potassium sorbate that produces sorbic acid when added to wine. A forum reader asked about the shelf life of the acid. "If it does expire when dry, it should also expire in solution which makes me wonder if my sweetened wines are ticking timebombs for refermentation once the sorbate has expired." This worry was compounded when the reader discovered that 90% of sorbic acid in solution decomposes within a year. This was, I thought, a very good question, but one based on faulty understanding. Read more....