2013 Peach Wine

[sour_grapes]

The best (only?) place I found Reduless in small quantities was MoreWine!.

 

[Dale1978]

Lechat - I disagree with Turock - unless it needs degassing - if it needs degassing then warming it up will help the CO2 to turn aloose easier - your problem is you still have a haze whether it be pectin haze or a protein haze - there are test you can do with Iodine to test which one - just do research or Google search pectin haze or protein haze in wine - I have read several threads on these test but do not remember procedures exactly - I was suggesting adding pectin - one it would not hurt the wine - two if it was a pectin haze it would start clearing in no time - if it is a protein haze then you will need to use amylase (spelling probably is not correct) to remove the protein - but you can also do cold stabilization on it - colder temps will make the particles fall out - if it was mine - I would make sure it was thoroughly degassed and add pectin to it and see what happens - just my suggestion - I am by far no expert - but trial and error is what makes you a good wine maker

 

[LeChat]

It is currently being stored in a basement.

If temperature is the problem, I will probably find out soon regardless as spring is here and my cold basement will soon become 19-20 ish celcius.

Dale and Turock here is a list of things that I tried:

- 2x Pectinase (once at fermentation, once during bulk aging at 16C)
- Fining with white egg (as per Jack Keller's web site)
- Bentonite
- Cold stabilization
- Kieselsol and Chitosan
- Vacuum racked 4 times

Here is what I will try next:
- Letting it warm up
- Filter through 1 micron

And then if it still does not clear, I will give pectinase and amylase (either) depending on what the test says.

Good think I have wine to keep me entertained...

 

[Dale1978]

good luck with it - hope you figure it out - I would interested in what you find please keep it posted - I have a peach I started a couple of weeks ago - probably wait until the weekend and rack off lees

 

[peaches9324]

thanks Paul I appreciate it. And LeChat when I have a problem with clearing I just place it in a lil warmer place with a lil pectic enzyme. And with you adding all this stuff is stirring it all up again I wouldn't add anything else to it I know it can be frustrating but if you added bentonite after fermentation I think that is where your problem with it clearing is.. just my opinion relax and get started on your next project

 

[Turock]

Dale--I've had wines that just refused to clear--until they had an added dose of enzyme and then moved to a warmer place. In fact, we just had that experience this winter with a 2 year old apple that was stubbornly cloudy. The wine cleared in about 3 days, but not until we moved it near the woodburner. So it's always best to try simple measures first--then move to more aggressive measures if you need to. I agree with something you said---about letting the bentonited wine sit for a long enough period of time before saying that you need to add other clearing agents. The people on this site seem very impatient and there's no doubt that this becomes problematic. It's hard for folks here to bulk age their wines for 1 year, which to ME is the minimum that fruit wines need.

I agree with sour grapes--get Reduless at www.morewine.com

 

[Dale1978]

Turock - I fully agree with patience - I guess we all had to learn that at some point - when I first started I wanted it to be ready in a week or so - right after fermentation - but finally have learned that patience pays off in the long run - I see people bragging on wine they have made from a kit in 30 days - I know the kit manufacturers say it is ready in 30 days - but I have not made one yet that is drinkable in 30 days - that is just not my taste. As you were doing I was just giving my opinion from my experience - I guess I jumped to conclusions before getting all the answers on what Lechat had tried and I know better than doing that - get all the facts first then make a diagnoses.

 

[LeChat]

Have no fear, I will update this thread with whatever happens next. If it turns out that age is the problem, well, it simply means that it will take a while ;P

No worries, I have 11 other batches between 1-18 months to keep me entertained... and quite a few bottles as well.

 

[peaches9324]

Have no fear, I will update this thread with whatever happens next. If it turns out that age is the problem, well, it simply means that it will take a while ;P

No worries, I have 11 other batches between 1-18 months to keep me entertained... and quite a few bottles as well.

LeChat just make sure it is properly sulfated when ageing it that long and don't go get all anxious and start adding stuff to it. Its probably good on the sulfites for at least another 3 or maybe six months have to go back and review your notes. Good luck and keep us posted if there is ever a question just ask, one day until you get the answer is not going to make a difference.

 

[peaches9324]

LeChat just make sure it is properly sulfated when ageing it that long and don't go get all anxious and start adding stuff to it. Its probably good on the sulfites for at least another 3 or maybe six months have to go back and review your notes. Good luck and keep us posted if there is ever a question just ask, one day until you get the answer is not going to make a difference.

LeChat was this a kit? Or was it fresh fruit and if it was, was k meta used before fermentation?

 

[Turock]

Dale---We've been making wine for 25 years and there's a lot of tricks you pick up on in that time. I know you jumped the gun on what I was telling LeChat--that's why I wanted to give you the full story on it so that you understood where I was coming from. I don't mind people disagreeing with me---but it's very easy to over-think problems and you should always start with easy fixes first and then move to more complex ones.

Peach can suffer from protein haze, as you stated. That's why bentonite in the primary is a good way to handle it. PLUS, I really recommend using a better pectinase on this wine. We've gotten rid of our regular pectic enzyme and now use Lallzyme C-Max because it is a more rapid de-pectinizer and is designed to give better clarity to wine, and very useful on viscous musts. All our fruit wines are dense because we use no water additions. And the better pectinase seems to really help. Our peach wine from 2012 is as clear as water--even after refrigeration. So a better pectinase and bentoniting the primary has basically gotten rid of a lot of our clearing problems.

Many people are using their basements for their winery---the cold temps are good for storing wine, but not so good for trying to clear wines. Always try warming them up a little first--it's amazing how well that works.

 

[LeChat]

LeChat was this a kit? Or was it fresh fruit and if it was, was k meta used before fermentation?

It was made with about 100 pounds of fresh peaches from Niagara . We got a killer deal on them.

And yes, I did use kmeta before fermentation. The sad thing is that I recently lost my notes for this batch and I can't tell you exactly how much of everything I added.

I know that I adjusted the acidity and added almost no water to the juice.

 

[Dale1978]

Thanks Turock - I fully agree

 

[peaches9324]

It was made with about 100 pounds of fresh peaches from Niagara . We got a killer deal on them.

And yes, I did use kmeta before fermentation. The sad thing is that I recently lost my notes for this batch and I can't tell you exactly how much of everything I added.

I know that I adjusted the acidity and added almost no water to the juice.

Did ya taste it yet? Taste it and if it has a slight chemical taste to it it's probably good for a while or give it a stir and smell or if it foams, but you might not want to stir since trying to clear. Or if not sure, I would add 1/4 tsp of kmeta per 6 gal do ya happen to have an so2 tester? This is something that's on my wish list also, just go by taste, smell and foam right now. And seem to be getting pretty good at it lol And FIND your notes! This might be the best wine ya ever made and you'll probably want to replicate it

 

[LeChat]

Maybe I need to find another hobby to occupy my time, but I swear it appears to be clearing some!

I have been watching it everyday since I brought it in my office (with 2 computers running so hotter in comparison to the basement). There is a fine layer of sediment at the bottom and there appears to be some stratification going on with the top being less cloudy than the bottom!

@peaches - My notes are terminally lost. I had them electronically and I believe that I inadvertently deleted them from my server. As it had been a while since I added SO2 (at least January 2014), I added 1/8 Kmeta at the latest racking. Since I don't have an So2 tester, I usually add 1/8 KMeta every 4-6 months or two rackings.

 

[Turock]

Be patient with it and see if it won't fully clear. That's a good sign--that you're starting to see sediment on the bottom.

 

[LeChat]

Looks like it will clear. A little bit more patience I need!

One of the pictures is taken really close but you can clearly see through the wine now and the haze effect is dialing down. Not crystal but a step in the right direction.

 

[Turock]

Hurrah----it's getting there.

 

[LeChat]

Well isn't this nice?!

I forgot about the wine for a while and then vacuum racked it through a 1 micron filter.

Just thought I would share my experience.

 

[seth8530]

Oh comon, filtering is cheating (; Just kidding, its amazing what a filter can do for a wine. Just do not let it replace good wine making technique.

Looks great! But how does it taste?