# Plum wine will not clear?



## thomas8861 (Aug 18, 2010)

Any thoughts welcomed - Last years plum and damson wines have fermented well - though our cold winter and spring have kept them ticking over very slowly since August last year - they are no longer sweet, have good flavour and have decent alcohol content - but they have not cleared. 

We are making one or two gallons of each each year and follow a very simple recipe 4lb of fruit, 2.2 lb sugar, boiled water, yeast, yeast nutrient and pectolase - 7 days in a bin then secondary racking every 2-3 months.

From the books I suspect "pectin haze" though I did use pectolase (1 tsp per gallon at the beginning) and have tried finings but no change - is there a process to add pectin destroying enzyme or an alternative appropriate at the end of the fementation to clear the wine?

Would filtering make a difference or should I keep it for I keep it for mulled wine at Christmas?


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## winemaker_3352 (Aug 18, 2010)

I think you can add pectic enzymes in it - i think this will aid in clearing the pectic haze.

Filtering it now will just clog the filter - filtering just adds a finished polish to the wine - it is not meant to clear your wine.


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## Minnesotamaker (Aug 18, 2010)

Plum is notorious for being a beast to clear. Apparently, much of the problem is due to a natural wax that is on the plum skins. I hear it can be removed by washing the plums first in a soda ash solution (washing soda). I haven't tried it yet, so I can't personally attest to it, but I plan to use it on my next batch.


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## mmadmikes1 (Aug 18, 2010)

I ended up filtering my plumb wine and it clogged up 2 filter pads, but it is clear now


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## thomas8861 (Aug 19, 2010)

*Thanks all*

It looks like a pectolose addition followed by more filtering - or I'll just keep my eyes shut whilst enjoying it! Many thanks though


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## kegmeister (Aug 20, 2010)

sulfites can inhibit pectolase function, try to never add both at the same time. If it has enough alcohol you could try freezing it. get it to 28 F or so it shouldn't freeze but will probably help clear it. Don't attemt that in a glass carboy though, this is a good use for plastic.


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