> I have been following this thread and am interested in the "toss the
> potassium sorbate packet away",. Would you please elaborate on this and
> perhaps "defend" the statement. I am always interested in new ways to
> improve my wine making.

KB,
This has been discussed many times in this group and a Google
Groups search on potassium sorbate will give you alot of reading
to collaborate. Basically, sorbate has a slight but definite
taste that many find discernable and slightly disagreeable.

Kit makers include the chemical (and others) in order to help
make their kits more fool proof and to hold to the time periods
outlined in the instructions ie. 4 or 6 week kits. Should the kit
not truely be fermented out to dryness then the sorbate will
ensure it will not referment in the bottle.

If you leave the kit for another couple of weeks under the
protection of an airlock before stabilizing with potassium meta
and using a zero'ed hydrometer to check that it is dry, then the
sorbate is not needed.

From Jack Keller's site:

"A few words of caution about potassium sorbate are in order.
It does impart a taste to the wine, however slight, and you
might want to avoid it if you intend to enter your wine in
competition. Also, avoid sorbate if you intend to keep your
wines a very long time. The "slight" taste tends to get stronger
over time and after several years can be quite disappointing."


Don