WineXpert What's up with isinglass?

[wineh]

I only make a couple of white wins (Liebfraumilch style and Australian Chardonnay), but they never seem to clear on time. I note that the isinglass package provided is only half the volume of chitosan that comes with the red kits. After waiting far too long for whites (a couple of weeks to a month) to clear, I end up giving a half dose of chitosan, and they clear in 3 or 4 days. I think in the future, I will simply throw the isinglass away with the box, and use chitosan from the get go.
Obviously this stuff (isinglass) must work for most people, so what's going wrong in my basement? I am certain that I am getting all the CO2 out on stabilizing day.

 

[tonyt]

Not degassing enough is said to keep wine from clearing and too cold may also slow it down. I would strap on a brew belt a couple days prior to degassing and if your basement is cold leave the belt on while clearing. Search "brew belt" on this forum, there are lots of tricks to hold the right temp.
Edit, other smart folks will chime in soon.

 

[wineh]

As it is always cool in my basement, I have always used brewbelts to get through stabilization. After I stir with my mix stir, I follow up with a small vacuum degasser to make sure I got it all out.
Thanks though, I'm open to all thoughts on this.

 

[ColdClimateWines]

I love using isinglass on my delicate whites especially with aromatics. The fish bladder parts seem to work better, for me, than other products. On the other hand, I have never worked to degas a wine. I do rack and splash when I do rack if it seems to need it. Even when I was doing kit wines, carboy wines, I never worried about degassing. I did, however have patience with the wines.

Very important with Isinglass is to mix extremely well. I have a blender just for this purpose now. Let it sit and hydrate before stirring in. Get the wine moving in a circular direction via stirring before adding the I solution.

I do not use Isinglass with reds or Apple.

 

[Brew and Wine Supply]

also try a cold stabilization and see if that does not help clear it.

 

[dangerdave]

I have noticed this as well, recently. I have made several white kits in the past few months (kits included isinglass) that just didn't seem to want to clear. They used to clear just fine. Now, the cloudiness lingers on. I ran them through a filter to get rid of the last bit of cloudiness. Have they changed the way they make isinglass? Is it a global warming thing affecting the fish, maybe?

 

[wineh]

Nope

So, I made a Liefraumilch and substituted chitosan for the issinglass. Two weeks later I can see through the wine, but it is not clear by any stretch of the imagination. I racked it off the sediment anyway, and put it aside. I'm sure it will eventually clear.

 

[SouthernChemist]

I've personally never had an issue with isinglass, but like others have stated, your temperature and how well you've degassed the wine can have a big impact. The particular varietal may also be more difficult to clear than others. You may just have to give it more time..and that's probably not a bad thing.

 

[Wade E]

Ive had a few problems with Isinglass myself, typically with Winexpert white kits. Everytime Ive had this problem I would stir it all back up and add the Chitosan and it would drop like a rock.

 

[wineh]

Well, I'll be darned

Two weeks after racking the semi-clear wine off it's sediment, it is now crystal clear. Maybe I'll stick with the chitosan after all.