user 36973
owner, winemaker
- Joined
- Jun 13, 2017
- Messages
- 706
- Reaction score
- 536
Quick background: I like to fully comprehend the impact of every addition we use in making wine, so I'll periodically run small experiments. In this case I looked at the impact of making strawberry wine with and without pectic enzyme, among a handful of other trials.
In this experiment, EC1118 yeast was used on pureed strawberries. Sugar was taken up to 21 brix. The must is 75% strawberries and 25% water. The pectic enzyme was from a drop of Scottzyme Color Pro liquid pectic enzyme. Sulfites were initially dosed to about 50ppm.
It was striking just how much difference the pectic enzyme made to the clarity of the fermenting must. In less than 12 hours it had MUCH better color extraction and made the juice crystal clear. Over the week during which the fermentation completed, the color gradually got better in the non-pectic enzyme jars but never approached the color of the jar with the pectic enzyme. The clarity never significantly improved in the jars without the pectic enzyme.
Anyway, a picture is worth 1000 words. (The pectic enzyme dosed solution is on the right, by the way)
In this experiment, EC1118 yeast was used on pureed strawberries. Sugar was taken up to 21 brix. The must is 75% strawberries and 25% water. The pectic enzyme was from a drop of Scottzyme Color Pro liquid pectic enzyme. Sulfites were initially dosed to about 50ppm.
It was striking just how much difference the pectic enzyme made to the clarity of the fermenting must. In less than 12 hours it had MUCH better color extraction and made the juice crystal clear. Over the week during which the fermentation completed, the color gradually got better in the non-pectic enzyme jars but never approached the color of the jar with the pectic enzyme. The clarity never significantly improved in the jars without the pectic enzyme.
Anyway, a picture is worth 1000 words. (The pectic enzyme dosed solution is on the right, by the way)
