Hi, I started a red wine made from my father in law's grapes. There's
only a gallon of it, but it is rich and dense, almost black in
colour. I think it will be pretty good when it is finished,
especially since it came from a fairly random grape vine which wasn't
sold with wine in mind. I tasted it on second racking and it was
better than the bottled french burgandy I was drinking the day
before...

I usually use a laser pointer and a strong torch to ascertain the
clarity of my 1 gallon and sometimes 5 gallon wines. It usually gives
a pretty good indication of how clear or otherwise a white, rosé or
clear red wine is. However, for a rich red grape wine, or elderberry
wine, the laser just can't penetrate more than 1/8th of an inch until
it is clear - or close to.

The wine was started on the 1st of September last year. I expect it
to be September 2009 before we drink it. My question though, is
should I leave it to clear naturally, however long that takes. Or,
would I be better off fining it at some point and then continuing the
again process after that?

I am keen to let it clear naturally if it isn't likely to result in
off flavours or other damage to the wine. If I do need to fine it,
what would be recommended, bentonite?

I am sure it is a 'how long is a piece of string' kind of question and
surely doesn't justify the length of my post Any help though is
gratefully received as always.

Best wishes to you all, Jim