Bentonite and/or Sparkolloid: Comparative Study

[soccer0ww]

Look forward to your final conclusions. Some interesting results so far!

 

[dangerdave]

Conclusion...

Here we are at the end of our tale of two clearing agents. The two batches have both been in their bottles for over a week, so last night, my lovely wife and I sat down to check them out. From the looks alone, the two wines appear identical. They are both perfectly clear with no added sediments having fallen out in the bottle. As the official Dragon Blood inspector, I declair they both pass the muster for awesome red color (it is called "Blood" after all).

Batch A left, Batch B right:

I opened both of the bottles and observed no sign of carbonation (phew!), which would have made comparison difficult if not impossible. I poured a small amount in two glasses and gave them a sniff...!!!

<Remember, I currently have no way to do any testing on these wines except with my senses. I understood this from the beginning, and decided to proceed, using only my taste, smell, and observation to judge the outcome. That's what wine judges do, right?>

Now, here comes the strange part. I fully expected at this point that the wines would come out exactly the same in all aspects, except for the handling of the respective sediments and their densities at racking time (as we discussed earlier this month). What I got was a shock! Batch A (bentonkite and Sparkolloid) had a distinct and shark nose (my wife called it a "tang") with a nice berry aroma, while Batch B (Sparkolloid only) smelled just like a bowl of fresh berries---with a mild lemon twist. To be more specific, Batch B smelled better, and more to my liking. It was what I had made Dragon Blood to be.

The aromas tranfered directly to the flavor. Upon tasting, we discovered that Batch B was true Dragon Blood. Slightly sweet, with full of rich berry flavor, and a perfect lemon background; all flavors nicely blended, wonderfully balanced. This is my sixth and seventh batches of this wine, so believe me, I know what it should taste like. Batch A tasted out of balance...somehow. It was too tart---still clinging to it's youth perhaps. Before I commented on it at all, Johnna asked me if I had added more lemon juice to Batch A. I told her they were exactly the same, except for the use of bentonite in the primary of Batch A. Later that evening---as I do every evening---I asked Johnna what she wanted from the cellar. She had apparently wetted her tasted for Dragon Blood earlier, because she asked for more. She said, "Batch B, not Batch A." She is so wise. I had to agree.

That settled it for me. I will not be using the bentonite in my Dragon Blood again. I suspect (and I may be completely wrong) that the bentonite may have interfered with the interaction of the yeast on the skins of the fruit---thus limiting or reducing the berry flavor in Batch A. This goes right along with the preferred usage of bentonite in white wines, where skins are not present in the primary. Since rogue sediments are easier to see in white wines, it would seem very important to be able to rack efficiently off the sediments (which would be more compact with the heavier bentonite) and thus keep your whites clear.

My final (and certainly unprofessional) conclusion is that bentonite may in fact be detrimental in the crafting of wines involving skins (of fruits or grapes) in the primary.

Note: I will continue comparing these wines as time goes by. I plan to wait a few months and open two more bottles to see if they have improved or even out with age.

I want to thank everyone for the great input and questions. I appreciate all of you!

 

[oldwhiskers]

Thanks for the study, I think I will pitch my Bentonite and stay with the Sparkolloid.

 

[southlake333]

Very good to know, thanks! I'll make the next batch without Bentonite to see the difference.

 

[Boatboy24]

Great write up Dave. Thank you.

As a small token of appreciation, I'd be happy to help you dispose of batch A. Just PM me and I'll give you an address where you can send it.

 

[SarahRides]

I'm still playing around with different fining agents. I've only used bentonite a few times, but have found that it has really helped to clean up a couple of wines that just had a stubborn haze. I have found that no one fining has proven to be a tried and true definitive agent for everything. I've had a few that have needed a second fining of a different type just to polish it up.

 

[dangerdave]

I'm still playing around with different fining agents. I've only used bentonite a few times, but have found that it has really helped to clean up a couple of wines that just had a stubborn haze. I have found that no one fining has proven to be a tried and true definitive agent for everything. I've had a few that have needed a second fining of a different type just to polish it up.

I completely agree, Sarah. No one agent will work best for every wine. My study was limited to my Dragon Blood recipe, because that is what I make the most. Since this study and my experience are limited, I very much appreciate the added input.

Perhaps a need a long list of disclaimers...

 

[dangerdave]

Very good to know, thanks! I'll make the next batch without Bentonite to see the difference.

That would be great, JJ. I'd like to get a second opinion.

 

[JoshDivino]

Wow Dave, this was an awesome experiment, I am now fully convinced to add Bentonite to the Primary Fermentation. Your results were awesome and your wine looks delicious. I'm definitely going to try out this recipe and see if I can get some wine that looks the color of yours. Very impressed with this. Thank you for your research!

 

[olusteebus]

Great write up Dave. Thank you.

As a small token of appreciation, I'd be happy to help you dispose of batch A. Just PM me and I'll give you an address where you can send it.

A very generous offer Boatboy. I will follow suit and I am willing to take batch B.

 

[olusteebus]

Got a question. Since sparkloid is best with skins, I presume it will be best for my Peach wine which has skins. Can I add Sparkloid before fermentation ends in the primary?

 

[Boatboy24]

I've read that you should let peach clear on it's own because the sparkolloid can strip things out that you want to keep in the wine.

 

[oldwhiskers]

I've read that you should let peach clear on it's own because the sparkolloid can strip things out that you want to keep in the wine.

I have heard that with Bentonite, but not with Sparkolloid.


The removal of protein is proportional to the amount of bentonite added. Additions of the equivalent of several pounds of bentonite per 1,000 gallons of wine can reduce the protein content from an initial 50-100 mg/1 to less than 10 mg/1 (Kean and Marsh 1956). Although complete removal of residual wine proteins can generally be achieved by the use of bentonite, it has been recognized that this may not be necessary to obtain protein stability and may detrimentally effect the sensory quality. Bentonite additions to wine exceeding several pounds per 1000 gallons can potentially strip wine body, color - and possibly impart an earthy, freshly 'laundered' smell. Care must be used when attempting to protein-stabilize sparkling wine cuvees with bentonite. The carbon dioxide in sparkling wines is present in a free and unstable state, bound to peptides and proteins (Berti 1981). Bentonite is not specific in its interaction with wine constituents, and significant alterations in wine composition can occur as the result of bentonite fining. Excessive bentonite fining of sparkling wine cuvees can produce a finished product that has both a large bubble size and poor bubble retention as a result of too great a reduction in the protein and peptide content.

 

[dangerdave]

After a month in their respective bottles, I can no longer tell the difference between the two batches in a blind tasting. It's all delicious! Thanks again for all the feedback folks!

 

[southlake333]

Really? So the bite in the bentonite version went away?

 

[Dend78]

well after fully reading this thread i think this may be what i taste in my batch, there is definately an off flavor with lemon, i was getting worried that maybe the watermelon that i tossed in was souring the batch.

still not saying this is for sure what I taste but, i feel better in thinking this may be the cause, and then the fact that it can and probably will go away after a bit is even better.

my question is this, if one were to let this clear for a few days then rerack and backsweeten, do you feel that the off flavor would disipate just the same? i dont think being in the bottle would do anything to it but im to new at this to know any better.

if this is the case then i believe bentonite will make it to the use only in secondary in addition to sparkolloid, cause well lets face it who wants to wait a month to drink their wine

 

[dangerdave]

Really? So the bite in the bentonite version went away?

I believe it is significantly improved to the point they are virtually indistinguishable.

@Dend78---I am yet to meet a wine that didn't improve in the bottle. Resting quietly in a cool dark place is just plain good for wine. Aging in the carboy can work the same, but I think (either way) we are talking in terms of months, not days.

The whole purpose for this study was to make good, clear, wine quickly. In my experience, the bentonite did nothing to advance this goal. Quite the contrary, really.

 

[Dend78]

my findings are about the same as yours Dave the lees really stick to the bottom of the glass carboy like i had to blast it with the sink sprayer to get it to let go

 

[ShepherdQ]

Hi Dave,

although late to this discussion, I'd like to add a couple things that I've been told about bentonite but that hasn't been mentioned here yet.

I read this thread after searching for bentonite, as I forgot to add it, prior to fermentation, to one of the batches I have clearing now. Called my LHBS, and they said not to worry, prior to fermentation bentonite just acts as a medium for the yeast to cling to. This seems to agree with your experience here, as you had clumps of yeast in the non-bentonite batch.

The purpose of the bentonite would seem to be to ensure a smooth, steady fermentation with quickly settling sediment afterward. This goes against what saramc posted earlier.

In any case, I'm now dying to make dragon's blood! Without bentonite!

 

[dangerdave]

Good luck, Rob, and thanks for the input!