A white wine kit "Sauvignon Blanc" which I started in November last year
went through all its normal fermentation process from OG 1.090 down to final
SG of 0.993. It was put into glass 23litre and topped up for bulk aging (
well bulk aging for me at least ), having been degassed and adjusted for
sulphite. It was not treated with finings or Pottasium sorbate. It was
already quite clear at this stage, and very dry to the taste. It was racked
one further time in May and after that deposited virtually no further lees.
There was not sign of any fermentation at all during the bulk aging
rocess - and I did not expct any!
I bottled it on 7 September to make room for new wine.. It was crystal
clear, no sign of excessive CO2 and promised to be a good dry flinty
Sauvignon Blanc. it was subsequently labelled and put on wine racks.
Two days ago a pulled a bottle to try it ( to be my one bottle/week!!) and
discoverd a fine deposit if leesdown the bottom side of the bottle. i
inspected the other 30 bottles and found the same in them all.
Clearly there had been some more fermentation after bottling and I can only
believe that this must have been malolactic.
I have only experienced a "self starting" malolactic fermentation once
before and that was in a country wine base on Apples, oranges and grapes
juice and occured in bulk and went on for about a year --- just a tiny ring
of minute bubbles around the edge of the carboy in 2 out of 5 x 1 gallon (
imp).
I have not experienced Malolactic fermentation in wine kits before ( at
least to my knowledge ).

So!!!!!!! Is this what has happened? in bottle -- after 7 months plus in
bulk aging.

The wine, by the way is quite excellent and improved muchly since
bottling -- but slightly "pettilant" as you might expect -- but not
excessively so

--
Trevor A Panther
In South Yorkshire, England
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