I'm using superkleer (chitosan + kielselsol) to clear my whites. The Viognier cleared beautifully, however, after being degassed, I'm not able to get the Chardonnay to clear completely. Is it just a matter of using a different fining agent? I ordered some bentonite in hopes it will do a better job.
Chardonnay won't clear
- Thread starter PJ805
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I did a Chardonnay from frozen juice last year, didn't want to wait for it to clear naturally, used fining agents and had some trouble clearing it as well. I used the prescribed amount of bentonite during AF, and Chitosan after degassing, but couldn't get it to clear. In the end, I realized that the recommended dosage on my Chitosan had a math error on the label made by the manufacturer. Maybe you're having a similar problem with dosage?? Check out the link below to see how my solution progressed, hope it helps you...........
https://www.winemakingtalk.com/threads/chitosan-dosage-for-white-grape-wine.57214/
I am at about 5ml of chitosan and 2ml kieselsol (only making a 1 gallon batch) so it could be the dosage as you mentioned.
As you can see in the thread, 25 ml / gallon was the magic number for my chardonnay.......
Out of curiosity, why didn't I have this issue with my viognier? It cleared right away with less than 5ml of chitosan.
I cannot answer that question, but the same happened to me, my Pinot Gris Cleared just fine, but not the chardonnay.
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I would like others' opinion on this:
I am new to wine making and did a 2 gallon batch of apple wine from homemade cider (a tree in our yard). Sweetened with combo of sugar, brown sugar and honey.
Hydro reading SG 1.120 (28 brix)
Lalvin EC-1118 yeast.
I also really wanted to go with no chemicals etc. Unfortunately I boiled my cider to kill natural yeast which caused a release of pectin. So I had a cloud issue. I did not use fining agents. When all said and done, I used potassium sorbate then back sweetened with a bit of honey and sugar. After bottling and letting it sit for a month, I opened a bottle to taste about 1 oz. It was better than expected. I refrigerated the rest of the bottle and left on a business trip for a week. When I came back it had cleared completely. I had a beautiful golden elixer... And it was delicious. I then refrigerated all the other bottles, let them clear then rebottled because of all the sediment.
My question are: Is this a legitimate way to clear wine? Would this work for other wines? Was I just lucky? Any other comments would be great too.
I am new to wine making and did a 2 gallon batch of apple wine from homemade cider (a tree in our yard). Sweetened with combo of sugar, brown sugar and honey.
Hydro reading SG 1.120 (28 brix)
Lalvin EC-1118 yeast.
I also really wanted to go with no chemicals etc. Unfortunately I boiled my cider to kill natural yeast which caused a release of pectin. So I had a cloud issue. I did not use fining agents. When all said and done, I used potassium sorbate then back sweetened with a bit of honey and sugar. After bottling and letting it sit for a month, I opened a bottle to taste about 1 oz. It was better than expected. I refrigerated the rest of the bottle and left on a business trip for a week. When I came back it had cleared completely. I had a beautiful golden elixer... And it was delicious. I then refrigerated all the other bottles, let them clear then rebottled because of all the sediment.
My question are: Is this a legitimate way to clear wine? Would this work for other wines? Was I just lucky? Any other comments would be great too.
Sure! Most wines will clear if left to sit long enough. In addition, the precipitation and settling out happen faster at lower temperatures. I think that refrigeration will not necessarily work that quickly in all cases, though.
For me the temp was consistently between 60 and 65, after having added more chitosan it did clear though but now I have a rose that didn't clear even after adjusting the chitosan. I have the leftovers of the rose in a mason jar upstairs where it's 10 degrees warmer so it will be interesting to see how it clears compared to the 1 gallon batch downstairs.
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