What are your opinions on using bentonite? Does it remove flavor?

[noahkain1998]

I've been making wine for about 5 years now. I've always added bentonite after fermentation was complete, but my brother noticed something over the years that I might be starting to agree with.

He pointed out that a lot of my wines taste the same. No matter what fruit I'm using—whether it’s grapes, mango, cranberry, you name it—they tend to have a similar flavor. I kind of have to agree with him. They taste great but are a little too similar at times. I did some research and read that bentonite can unintentionally remove flavors from wines. I'm sure I'm using the correct amount per gallon, so I decided to test something. My favorite kind of homemade wine is made from store-bought grape juice (I know, I'm basic), but I love the idea of a wine that just tastes like grape juice. For this batch, I didn’t add bentonite at all, and it started to clear by itself after some time.

I was curious so I tried cold crashing for the first time, but it clouded back up immediately when it got cold. I cold-crashed it for 24 hours anyway and brought it back to room temperature. I'm not sure if this is chill haze, protein, or maybe some potassium tartrate.

Anyway, despite the wine re-clouding, the smell is straight-up grape juice with an ABV of 14%. When I add bentonite to the same recipe, I don’t get that strong hit of grape aroma anymore. But this time, I had a huge grape aroma, and when I tasted it, it was literally adult grape juice. I can’t stress that enough—it was great.

Now I'm wondering: should I even use bentonite anymore? Would bentonite be less destructive to aroma compounds if I added it at the beginning of fermentation? I’m trying not to be too strict about having clear wine, but the more I do this hobby, the more I prefer it to be clear.

I've also noticed that bentonite has a negative electrical charge and sometimes does not work and I have to resort to using chitosan which has a positive charge to get the rest. This happens rarely but I can recall a few times where it was necessary.

What do you guys think?

 

[wood1954]

I stopped using bentonite a long time ago, I don’t think there’s any reason for it. Wine will clear really well if left alone.

 

[noahkain1998]

I stopped using bentonite a long time ago, I don’t think there’s any reason for it. Wine will clear really well if left alone.

 

[noahkain1998]

I was generally thinking the same thing. But I will say, in my experience, only most wines will clear naturally. Before I started using bentonite years ago, I had a few out of the dozens of brews I've done that just wouldn’t clear on their own. So, I’ll probably go without bentonite 95% of the time, until I come across that one brew that won’t clear within at least 3 to 4 months in secondary.

 

[winemaker81]

ALL fining agents, including filtering, have side effects. As a general rule, I avoid using unless necessary.

White grape wines can be subject to protein haze, and bentonite clears that.

For all wines? Give them 3 months to see where they are, then make a decision.

 

[Vailvalley@24]

I have always added it at the start of fermentation, is that wrong? Used super-kleer to fine at the end. So much to learn!

 

[Ohio Bob]

I seem to remember the instructions say to add bentonite at yeast pitching. The bubbling activity helps keep the bentonite suspended, as opposed to immediately forming sediment. Frequent stirring will also do that.

In general I’m opposed to adding fining agents, unless forced to. Time will usually clear all wines.

 

[NorCal]

I don’t add anything but yeast and mlb unless there is a problem that needs to be solved. Nutrient deficiency, issue with the fruit, fermentation, flavor profile, clearing etc. Less is more.

 

[BarrelMonkey]

Scott Labs recommends adding bentonite part way through fermentation (of whites and roses) for best impact on protein stabilization. The paper cited at the bottom of this page (Horvat et al) also reports improved aromatics. I'm going to try it for the first time on my white pinot noir this year...

 

[Neb Farmer]

I use Lalizyme C-Max to help clarify my Riesling. It settles out the pectin and other haze-inducing particulates. I have not used bentonite for ages, only Lalizyme C-Max and cold crashing to clear my riesling.

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