Also known as wine stabilizer, potassium sorbate producessorbic acidwhen added towine. It serves two purposes. When activefermentationhas ceased and the wine is racked for the final time after clearing, potassium sorbate renders any surviving yeast incapable of multiplying. Yeast living at that moment can continue fermenting any residualsugarintoCO2andalcohol, but when they die, no new yeast will be present to cause future fermentation. When a wine is sweetened before bottling, potassium sorbate is used to prevent refermentation when used in conjunction withpotassium metabisulfite. It is primarily used withsweet wines,sparkling wines, and somehard ciders, but may be added totable wines, which exhibit difficulty in maintaining clarity afterfining.