How to stop a fermentation
 

I have been making wine for almost 50 years and never had this happen.

I have six gallons of blueberry wine that has been fermenting for about nine
months. It stopped after about four or five months and appeared to be
finished.

About a two months ago, I added 1 1/2 teaspoons of Potassium Sorbate and 2
teaspoons of Potassium Metabisulfite to get ready to bottle. It started
working and is slowly bubbling away. It tastes dry and quite good.

I had a refractometer brix reading of approximately 3 when I added the
Potassium salts. Our local winery owner told me that a few other people had
the same thing happen to them. Is it possible that the Sorbate or
Metabisulfite may act as a yeast nutrient of some sort?

Does anyone have any ideas or suggestions? I want to bottle it.

How to stop a fermentation
 

I usually don't give advice on here but here goes....... I think you
will hear from others on this list, that a refractometer is useless for
residual sugar readings in wine, Only a hydrometer will do the trick. I
believe the alcohol throws a refractometer off. Also did you use 2 tsp
of PotMet? Sounds like a bit much to me.

How to stop a fermentation
 

Andie,

My math is not so good, but here goes........
A teaspoon of sulfite weighs about 6.5 grams.
6.5 times 2 equals 13 grams.
13 grams of sulfite times 0.57 produces about 7.4 grams of SO2.
Six gallons times 3.8 equals 22.8 liters.
22.8 liters equals 22,800 grams.
7.4 grams of SO2 divided by 22,800 grams equals 324 milligrams per gram.
324 milligrams per gram equals 324 PPM of sulfur dioxide.
That's about ten times the usual amount.
Can't you smell the SO2 in the wine?

Lum

"Andie Z" > wrote in message
news:_LOzg.3448$AX.2837@trndny07...
> I have been making wine for almost 50 years and never had this happen.
>
> I have six gallons of blueberry wine that has been fermenting for about
nine
> months. It stopped after about four or five months and appeared to be
> finished.
>
> About a two months ago, I added 1 1/2 teaspoons of Potassium Sorbate and 2
> teaspoons of Potassium Metabisulfite to get ready to bottle. It started
> working and is slowly bubbling away. It tastes dry and quite good.
>
> I had a refractometer brix reading of approximately 3 when I added the
> Potassium salts. Our local winery owner told me that a few other people
had
> the same thing happen to them. Is it possible that the Sorbate or
> Metabisulfite may act as a yeast nutrient of some sort?
>
> Does anyone have any ideas or suggestions? I want to bottle it.
>
>
>