potassium metabisulfite question

[Grantnw]

Hello all!

I have a quick question about potassium metabisulfite. We are bottling our wine and we are looking for shelf stable. We added potassium sorbate and potassium metabisulfite then we plan on back sweetening it.

Question is, How long before the wine becomes drinkable? I've heard and read from 12-72 hrs. Just getting everyones opinion.

Cheers

 

[Mr_fleabite]

As soon as you open the bottle, that's been my experience anyway.

Kidding aside, bottle shock is a bit of a mystery and seems to vary from bottle to bottle and taster to taster so there's really only one way to find out. From a practical stand point depending on the corks you've used (if you used corks) they can be very hard to pull out of recently corked bottles (they haven't fully compressed yet and resist quite a bit).

 

[DoctorCAD]

I find 3 months minimum for reds and 1 month minimum for whites to be a basic starting place. More is always better with wine.