Apple Wine Clearing

[Tom]

If helps settle the solids (lees) during the primary. Some of the kits tell you to add before adding the yeast.

 

[ThousandJulys]

Yes, it is done fermenting. The PA started at 11%, and I racked it into the secondary at 3% PA. After the past few weeks, the bubbling has stopped in the air lock, so I assume it's at 11% alc/vol and ready to be cleansed (I drink my wines early, as in...three months and then straight from the carboy to the wine glass, as they do in Japan.)

The lees and a bulk of the sediment were removed from the racking into the primary for the bentonite to do it's work. I mixed it in real well just now, and it should keep clearing for two weeks (according to my research on using bentonite to remove haze from 5 gallons of wine.)

It will be re-racked back into the secondary glass carboy after this process, and then possibly again as usual over the months...

Is it done fermenting? I do not have experience with Benonite but I would think you should wait longer than 1 month and I think you should probably make sure fermentation is complete. Also, I am not sure about putting into a fermentor. Maybe someone else with more experience will chime in.

Julie

 

[ffemt128]

Wine is still clearing, I ended up moving it to the 2nd floor bedroom where the temp is more consistent for continued clearing.

I believe it was Tom who stated to used a 1/2 gallon of juice and simmer down to a quart to make an f-pac. My question is would the fine, knowledgeable folks on the board recommend using juice or cider to make the f-pac from or doesn't it matter.

I was planning on checking the wine in about 2 weeks and possibly adding then. I would then let sit so F-pac could mix with wine for flavor absorption and then back sweeten further if needed. Does this sound reasonable and if so how long to let sit before back sweetening or do both steps at same time?

I realize I will have to allow to clear again after this.

Thanks

 

[Tom]

How much is the batch?
I would use apple juice or concentrate. Remember when adding f-pac you will need to clear the wine.
I always add the f-pac before clearing

 

[ffemt128]

How much is the batch?
I would use apple juice or concentrate. Remember when adding f-pac you will need to clear the wine.
I always add the f-pac before clearing

It is a 3 gallon batch. I didn't think about the f-pac prior to clearing as I wanted to see how it tasted prior to making the decision to go the f-pac route.

Would I be better off adding that now, wait say 2 weeks for flavor absorbtion, then back sweeten if needed and then continue clearing? How much of an f-pac do you think would be needed for the 3 gallons. I don't want a strong apple taste but right now, it fermented very dry .992 and it is lacking in apple flavor while the cinnimon and clove flavors are stronger. Don't get me wrong, it tasted good as it is.

 

[Tom]

Yea I would add now. After simmering the juice add slowly mix and "taste" as you go. MAKE SURE you added the k-meta and sorbate before adding

 

[ffemt128]

Yea I would add now. After simmering the juice add slowly mix and "taste" as you go. MAKE SURE you added the k-meta and sorbate before adding

k-meta and sorbate were added last racking. Should this cool to room temp prior to adding I assume?

 

[Tom]

Well dont have to be room temp just dont add boiling to the wine. 140* is OK.
You want to "simmer" NOT boil. Simmer can take 1/2 hour to reduce

 

[ffemt128]

Good deal, sounds like a project for tomorrow night. I'm planning on letting this sit in the carboy for another 2 months before bottleing so additional clearing should not be a problem.

Thanks for putting up with all the questions so far. Still new and learning.

 

[Tom]

Ask away..
We enjoy helping.

 

[xanxer82]

This is good stuff here. I'm going to backsweeten my apple wine soon too. After all of these lees drop out.

 

[bruno]

I just used some hot mix sparkaloid to clear my apple wine which I started last fall. It had been very hazy and was not improving. The sparkaloid worked overnight. The wine was crystal clear the next morning, and the sparkaloid seemed to make "clumps" of stuff which fell to the bottom of the carboy very quickly. I also used it to clear 5 gallons of cayuga white which was 90% clear but still showed a bit of haze. Same results, crystal clear overnight.

 

[ffemt128]

I made my f-pac yesterday and added it to the apple wine. Yum Yum.... I used about 3 quarts of lucky leaf apple juice and simered down to a little more than a quart. During this process I added cinnimon to the apple juice prior to simmering.

I prepared 3 2 oz samples with differing amounts of f-pac and had my wife and son try them to determine the amount to add. I added the f-pac to the wine at a temp of about 110-120 degrees and stirred to mix.

Amazing enough I think adding the hot f-pac made the wine clear faster. I may be crazy but it looks clearer now than it did prior to adding it. It's a nice amber color now and my samples I prepared for my wife to try were yummy.

Now off for another month of aging in the carboy before determining if it stays in carboy or goes to bottles.

 

[ffemt128]

I took a couple pictures of the Apple Wine today to show the clarity and color of it. This is going to be yummy in a few months.

 

[xanxer82]

thats a pretty wine. I've gotta rack my apple this week into a 5 gallon carboy. Definitely not 6 gallons anymore after the first racking. Even using Pectic enzyme it's dropping a lot of lees.

 

[Wade E]

Pectic enzyme has nothing to do with lees dropping or not, it just makes the wine have more color and flavor from what ever you used to make the wine.

 

[xanxer82]

I thought the PE also reduces Pectic Haze therefore helping in the clarification process as well.

 

[ThousandJulys]

Pectic enzyme will not so much help remove haze as add more color and flavor like Wade said. It WILL help a tad in the beginning, just be patient after you clear and it will be swell

 

[Wade E]

It will help remove a pectin haze but if you use it in the beginning you should not have to add it again later.

 

[xanxer82]

It's clearing pretty well so far. I've got to get a stopper to fit my 5 gal mexican carboy...I thing a 7 may work... I'll try to get a pic up. Hopefully it wille ventually look as nice as FFemt's applewine.