When is a wine clear

[brottman]

Here are three wines I have in bulk aging. I have heard that a wine is clear when you can clearly read print right through it. Does this only hold true for whites? I don't see how this would be possible with a dark red like a Shiraz. Even the raspberry looks clear in my top up bottle, but I cannot see through it in the large part of the carboy.

Left: Red Raspberry
Middle: Muscato
Right: Shiraz

 

[salcoco]

take the red wines in a glass place up to the light you can see if it is cloudy or clear. not rocket science but common sense.

 

[tonyt]

@brottman that's actually a good question. I believe holding a glass with several ounces of wine of any color is the best indication of clarity. What you want to avoid is cloudy looking wine. Even the darkest reds will appear cloudy or clear when held up to light in a glass. Swirl the wine in the glass and look for the sparkle of a light bulb. Btw, those carboys look great, well topped up. Cheers.

 

[brottman]

Thanks tonyt! I believe the red in the wine glass does appear clear... Now for another 6 months of bulk aging

 

[Tenbears]

All three of the wines look good to me. But since you plan on bulk aging. I would rack it at the 3 month point if you see even the slightest bit of sediment in the carboy. then again just prior to bottling, It for sure will be clear then.. Did you do a cold stabilization to facilitate Titrate Chrystal formation?

 

[brottman]

All three of the wines look good to me. But since you plan on bulk aging. I would rack it at the 3 month point if you see even the slightest bit of sediment in the carboy. then again just prior to bottling, It for sure will be clear then.. Did you do a cold stabilization to facilitate Titrate Chrystal formation?

I'm trying cold stabilization on the Muscato right now. Nothing else appears to be droping though. The raspberry I used bentonite during fermentation, but the other two didn't get any clarifiers at all. They both cleared nicely on their own after a few weeks.

 

[brottman]

Tenbears - Do you need to rack immediately after cold stabilization or can it sit for a few more weeks?

 

[Tenbears]

That is a subject that seems to be open to debate. I have seen no evidence that once Titrate crystals have formed they dissolve back into the wine. Some say that when the wine is warmed they may. I am not so sure. As I have had them appear in wine kept at 50 degrees that was not cold stabilized.
I do my CS (cold stabilization) out side, Try as I may I have never gotten the weather to cooperate with my racking schedule. All to often I CS, and place the carboys back into the cellar until I rack into bottles or rack for other reasons. If any crystals are dissolved back into the wine it is obviously an insufficient amount to cause ample saturation for them to reform later, Because I have never found wine diamonds in any bottled wine.

 

[richmke]

Did you use fining agents or allow it to settle naturally? I've gotten mixed reviews on whether to use

If you have time, natural is the way to go. I read a comment that Bentonite striped some flavor out of the wine.

When I have used fining agents, time still took out more sediment.

What negatives have you read about using time to clarify wine?