Fermented juice with potassium sorbate

Question

Hello this is my first time making wine, I got excited rushed through the process and didn't realize that the berry juice from concentrate that I used had potassium sorbate until after a week. I also put 2 packets of yeast instead of one in this 1 gallon batch.

I just learned about potassium sorbate and how it stops fermentation, so i thought this batch is ruined. Should I just dump it and do it all again? But, it's been 2 weeks and the airlock has been bubbling up since day 1 non stop.

Also, since day 1 there's lots of white bubbles on top and you can also see a lot of tiny bubbles going from down to up and i understood all those as signs of ongoing fermentation, which made me hesitant to dump the whole thing. But, I'm confused, how is this happening if the juice that I used has potassium sorbate that supposedly stops fermentation?

I also read somewhere that it doesn't stop fermentation just it stops from fermentation from being complete; I do not know what that means does that mean it's gonna end up being a not so strong wine or what?

Should I just complete the process since it's been 2 weeks already with good signs?

I'll do better next time I make a batch but I just don't know what to do with this one.

Answer 1

Preservatives make it harder to ferment but not impossible.

Sounds like your yeast has been able to ferment so I think you should be fine to carry on as normal. You may have saved it by putting in two packets of yeast.

It's all a learning experience. Hope it turns out well :)

Answer 2

Potassium sorbate doesn't really kill off the yeast, it just stops it from reproducing. The bubbling can indicate active fermentation, but a better way to check if anything is happening is to sample with a hydrometer or refractometer. This will tell you if the yeast are actively consuming the sugar or of they stopped because the next generation isn't available to complete fermentation.

Answer 3

As stated above, PotSorb inhibits fermentation, but not infinitely. I've made the same mistake myself, and I've found that preservatives (typically PotSorb and/or Natamycin/Pimaricin) can be overwhelmed by sufficient quantities of yeast.

So while the presence of antifungal preservatives is a major hurdle for the yeast, it's not necessarily the end of the line for your batch.

My general rule is: if it ferments, let it ferment!

If you dump the batch now, all is lost. If you give it time to see what it does, you will learn something and you may end up with something pretty drinkable. If not, you can always dump it then.