Clarifying wine using fining agents

Wade E · Dec 11, 2011

This was sent to me from a good friend of mine who teaches wine making at a university in CT.

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Fining is an
act of adding a product to wine to remove suspended particles. These products
can also reduce astringency or bitterness, remove off odors and strip out
browning caused by oxidation. However, this may also strip or remove some
color, body, taste and aroma from the wine.

The
following items could be the reason fining is required: Pectin, starch haze,
metallic contamination (from using copper, zinc, iron or aluminum utensils
during wine making), excessive tannins, suspended dead yeast cells, fine
suspended particles from which the wine is made. If the wine has not cleared
after three rackings 60 days apart, try relocating the wine to a colder place
by about 10F. If this does not work after 30 days and you have rules out pectin
and starch hazes, it is time to try a fining agent.

Fining has
better results at lower temperatures and lower PH values. As PH increases, the
strength of the charged particles decreases. For a high PH wine use
Sparkalloid, as it is PH independent.

White wines
haze is usually caused by positively charged proteins and polysaccharides.
Bentonite is the preferred agent to clear the haze. Young red wines which are
cloudy are usually caused by pectin or negatively charged particles. Red wines
with their natural tannins, should not suffer from haze caused by proteins, but
white wines easily could.

Positive charged particles: proteins, metallic compounds

Negative charges agents: tannin, yeast, Bentonite,
Kieselsol



Negative charged particles: tannins, phenolics, anthocyanins, yeast,
bacteria

Positive charged agents: gelatin, albumin, casein, Isinglass,
Chitosan, Sparkalloid, egg whites



Bentonite[/b] [/b](negative charge):

-
Allow
6 months or 3 rackings before using Bentonite

-
Does
not remove tannins

-
Can
remove some aroma compounds form wine

-
Does
not adversely affect wine flavor, however if adding more than necessary it will
impart an â€œearthinessâ€ to the wine

-
Removes
proteins from white wines which cause a haze (not reds)

Dosage: 1-6
gm/gallon (stay on low side)

Addition:

o
Rack
before adding Bentonite

o
Mix
20ml of hot water (do not use wine) per gram of Bentonite needed using a whisk 

o
Cover
and set aside for 2 hours then whisk again

o
Add
to wine while stirring well â€“ keep wine at room temp

o
Let
settle for 1-2 weeks max until particles settle out, then rack



Egg whites[/b] (positive charge):

-
Good
for reds â€“ softens astringency with no negative effects

-
Removes
haze from excessive tannins

Dosage: 1
egg per 5-6 gallons

Addition:

Â·
Separate
egg whites from yoke

Â·
Add
pinch of salt before beating with a whisk

Â·
Remove
foam and add to wine

Â·
Let
settle for 10-14 days and rack

Sparkalloid (hot mix)[/b] (positive charge):

-
Use
for high ph wines

-
Rack
once before using sparkalloid

-
Cold
or hot mix available (hot mix recommended)

-
Creates
brilliant color & removes range of hazes without stripping character

-
Apply
at least one month before bottling (takes time to settle)

Dosage: 0.5
â€“ 2.0 gm per gallon of wine

Addition:

Â·
Mix
0.5 â€“ 2.0 gm of sparkalloid in 30ml of water per gallon of wine

Â·
Heat
to a simmer for half hour (stir frequently)

Â·
Stir
wine as you add hot sparkalloid mixture

Â·
Let
settle for 2-4 weeks and rack (the sediment can be easily disturbed) 

Â·
Beneficial
to follow Sparkalloid fining with Bentonite to give more compact sediment. Add
after Sparkalloid settles out completely.



Kieselsol[/b] - Silica Gel or Silicon Dioxide
(negative charge):

-
Used
for fining white wines

-
Works
well with Gelatine as a clearing agent, since it acts as a tannin substitute
and works well to remove bitterness from white wines. When used with Gelatine,
the gelatin is added to the wine first and then 24-48 hours later, a small
amount of Kieselol is added and should be racked off within 2 weeks.

-
Also
works well with Chitosan (they are offered as a package)

-
Very
effective with peptide-tannin hazes

-
Used
with Gelatin, Isinglass, Bentonite or by itself to create compact lees

Dosage: 0.5 â€“ 1.5 gm/gallon (powder form)

2.0 â€“ 5.0 ml/gallon (liquid
form)

Carbon[/b] (no charge):

-
Used
to remove off flavors and odors (phenolic compounds)

-
Decrease
browning in white wines

-
It
does not attract particles, but absorbs them

-
Do
not overuse â€“ can strip color, flavor and character (use as last means)

-
Works
very fast, results are felt immediately

-
Carbon
contains a large amount of air, and oxidation sometimes follows carbon
additions if the carbon is not quickly and thoroughly removed

Laboratory test
addition:

Â·
10-50mg/L
for color treatment (marked KBB)

Â·
50-250
mg/L for off-odor removal (marked AAA)

Â·
Let
settle for one hour and rack â€“ check for improvements of color or smell

Bulk wine
addition:

Â·
Wine
should be 15-25 degree Celsius

Â·
Apply
carbon powder directly to wine and mix well

Â·
Rack
in 3-5 days (PVPP helps settle out the carbon)



Casein[/b] â€“ Potassium Caseinate (positive
charge):

Used for:

o
Correct
& stabilize color in whites and blush whites

o
Clarify
white juices (brown color from oxidization)

o
Freshen
aroma of stale wines by removing some of the oxidized odors

o
Soften
harsh flavors in wines

o
Used
as a Gelatin substitute to reduce tannins in reds

-
Often
not used on reds because it removes excessive color

-
Powered
skim milk is almost entirely Potassium Caseinate

-
Can
be difficult to add to wine since it will react with the acids in the wine
immediately and loose its effect as a fining agent when you try to stir it in

Dosage:
1.0 â€“ 4.0 gm/gallon

Addition:

Â·
Perform
fining trials

Â·
Hydrate
in water at rate of 16ml of water per gram of Potassium Caseinate

Â·
Hold
for 2-3 hours until completely dissolved

Â·
Slowly
pour mixture into wine while stirring (coagulates immediately)



Isinglass[/b] (Drifine) - (positive charge):

Used
for:

o
Final
polishing on wines already cleared

o
Reduce
the browning potential in whites

o
Reduce
astringent and harsh flavors

o
Remove
colloidal hazes

-
Not
used for a heavy haze - Use for final wines already clear (gentle fining agent)

-
Causes
flocculation of yeast and other suspended solids. Forms complexes with
negatively charged polyphenols that are responsible for astringency and harsh
flavors

-
Used
to clarify wines which will not be filtered

Dosage: .02 - .07 gm/ gallons of wine

Preparation
of laboratory evaluation:

Â·
Mix
6 gm of drifine into one liter of water (60F or less)

Â·
Mix
for 2 minutes at high speed, let stand for 20 minutes

Â·
Mix
again for 2 minutes (be aware heat may be generated during mixing)

Â·
Stir
into wine

PVPP[/b] â€“ Poly Clear (no charge):

-
Not
really considered a clarifier

-
Removes
a portion of enzyme that causes oxidation

-
Works
well in reducing/removing oxidative odors and reduces browning in whites

-
Does
not break down to create an off flavor in wine (insoluble in water)

-
Sometimes
used in place of Gelatin when reducing tannins in white wines

Dosage: 

10-30g/hl
for preventative use in white wine

15-25g/hl
for treatment against bitterness

30-50g/hl
for wines damaged by oxidation



Gelatin[/b] - (positive charge):

-
Requires
tannins to work as a fining agent

-
Good
for reds â€“ reduces tannins (which have a negative charge)

-
Use
on whites to remove bitter excessive tannins (too much will create protein
haze)

-
Use
after Bentonite fining to compact fluffy Bentonite

-
Use
with Kiesesol to prevent over stripping of whites. Kiesesol negative charge
works as a tannin substitute to neutralize excess gelatine in the wine. The two
agents with different charges working together also have the potential to both
reduce astringency and collect a greater number of charged particles.

Dosage: 6-10
gm/HL





Chitosan[/b] - (positive charge):

-
Popular
to clear white wines (does not require tannins)

-
Good
to use with Kiesesol (negative) to remove most suspended proteins and solids.
They are offered as a package.

Dosage: 0.24
oz/gallon



Pectic Enzyme[/b]

-
Excellent
clarifier when applied to fruit wine or wines that can develop a pectin haze

Clarifying wine using fining agents

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Wade E

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Clarifying wine using fining agents

Help Support Winemaking Talk - Winemaking Forum:

Wade E

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