I made an apple wine a little while back (probably three months). I
racked it twice, and when I shine a flashlight through it, the beam of
light is still very much visible.

This presumably means if I bottled it I'll end up with crap in the
bottoms of my bottles.

I added pectic enzyme already, so I'd think it's either yeast still in
suspension, or just misc junk. (I used Lavlin EC1118 ["Champagne
yeast", iirc.])

As this is a white wine being made from apples and all, I'd think I
should cold stabilize it first before fining? (I don't have a fridge
to do so, so letting it sit in my unheated basement in the coming
winter months would be how I'd probably do it.)

Should I chill it first? And if so (or not too, I guess) what should I
clarify it with? (Preferably not eggs or cow blood...)

"evilpaul13" wrote in message
om...
I made an apple wine a little while back (probably three months). I
racked it twice, and when I shine a flashlight through it, the beam of
light is still very much visible.

This presumably means if I bottled it I'll end up with crap in the
bottoms of my bottles.

I added pectic enzyme already, so I'd think it's either yeast still in
suspension, or just misc junk. (I used Lavlin EC1118 ["Champagne
yeast", iirc.])

As this is a white wine being made from apples and all, I'd think I
should cold stabilize it first before fining? (I don't have a fridge
to do so, so letting it sit in my unheated basement in the coming
winter months would be how I'd probably do it.)

Should I chill it first? And if so (or not too, I guess) what should I
clarify it with? (Preferably not eggs or cow blood...)

Three months isn't very much time for bulk aging. I'd leave it alone for 6
months (topped up and sulfited, of course) before deciding whether to fine
it or not.

If you're hell bent on fining this wine, try bentonite, kieselsohl and
either gelatin or isinglass. Those combos work well for me, but bear in
mind that I make grape wine. BTW, it's better to fine _before_ cold
stabilizing. The tartrate crystals tend to tamp down the fining lees.

Suggested doses:
~1 lb/1000 gal kieselsohl + 2 lb/1000 gal bentonite +
either gelatin (¼ - 1 lb/1000 gal),
_or_ isinglass (2 - 6 ounces/1000 gal).

You should do fining trials to zero in on the best combination and dosage of
finings.

Tom S

I agree with Tom, 3 months is a little young yet. And you're right, you
wouldn't want to bottle it when it is cloudy. I had this very stubborn
watermelon wine which wouldn't clear and wouldn't clear. I did use the
coldest part of my basement to try to clear a wine in the winter months, and
it did work. It finally got as good as I thought it would get and I bottled
it. Everything was fine until my basement warmed up a few degrees this
summer - the corks started popping. You just don't know what is suspended
in the wine - like leftover yeast. I have a dandelion wine which is not
clearing as quickly as my wines usually do. I've already determined that it
is not a starch haze, nor a pectin haze. I will wait until the wine is at
least 6 months old before I consider fining.
Darlene

"evilpaul13" wrote in message
om...
I made an apple wine a little while back (probably three months). I
racked it twice, and when I shine a flashlight through it, the beam of
light is still very much visible.

This presumably means if I bottled it I'll end up with crap in the
bottoms of my bottles.

I added pectic enzyme already, so I'd think it's either yeast still in
suspension, or just misc junk. (I used Lavlin EC1118 ["Champagne
yeast", iirc.])

As this is a white wine being made from apples and all, I'd think I
should cold stabilize it first before fining? (I don't have a fridge
to do so, so letting it sit in my unheated basement in the coming
winter months would be how I'd probably do it.)

Should I chill it first? And if so (or not too, I guess) what should I
clarify it with? (Preferably not eggs or cow blood...)

"Tom S" wrote:

.... BTW, it's better to fine _before_ cold
stabilizing. The tartrate crystals tend to tamp down the fining lees.

??? I thought cold stabilization first, then bentonite. Should I do it the
other way around?

"Negodki" wrote in message
...
"Tom S" wrote:

.... BTW, it's better to fine _before_ cold
stabilizing. The tartrate crystals tend to tamp down the fining lees.

??? I thought cold stabilization first, then bentonite. Should I do it the
other way around?

In a word, YES! :^)

Tom S

I also have a dandelion wine from this spring that refuses to clear or even
stop fermenting. I keep adding a small amount of sugar and it starts right
back up.

--
Roger & Lynda

"Dar V" wrote in message
...
I agree with Tom, 3 months is a little young yet. And you're right, you
wouldn't want to bottle it when it is cloudy. I had this very stubborn
watermelon wine which wouldn't clear and wouldn't clear. I did use the
coldest part of my basement to try to clear a wine in the winter months,
and
it did work. It finally got as good as I thought it would get and I
bottled
it. Everything was fine until my basement warmed up a few degrees this
summer - the corks started popping. You just don't know what is
suspended
in the wine - like leftover yeast. I have a dandelion wine which is not
clearing as quickly as my wines usually do. I've already determined that
it
is not a starch haze, nor a pectin haze. I will wait until the wine is at
least 6 months old before I consider fining.
Darlene

"evilpaul13" wrote in message
om...
I made an apple wine a little while back (probably three months). I
racked it twice, and when I shine a flashlight through it, the beam of
light is still very much visible.

This presumably means if I bottled it I'll end up with crap in the
bottoms of my bottles.

I added pectic enzyme already, so I'd think it's either yeast still in
suspension, or just misc junk. (I used Lavlin EC1118 ["Champagne
yeast", iirc.])

As this is a white wine being made from apples and all, I'd think I
should cold stabilize it first before fining? (I don't have a fridge
to do so, so letting it sit in my unheated basement in the coming
winter months would be how I'd probably do it.)

Should I chill it first? And if so (or not too, I guess) what should I
clarify it with? (Preferably not eggs or cow blood...)

On Sat, 25 Oct 2003 05:44:53 GMT, "Tom S"
wrote:


"evilpaul13" wrote in message
. com...
I made an apple wine a little while back (probably three months). I
racked it twice, and when I shine a flashlight through it, the beam of
light is still very much visible.

This presumably means if I bottled it I'll end up with crap in the
bottoms of my bottles.

I added pectic enzyme already, so I'd think it's either yeast still in
suspension, or just misc junk. (I used Lavlin EC1118 ["Champagne
yeast", iirc.])

As this is a white wine being made from apples and all, I'd think I
should cold stabilize it first before fining? (I don't have a fridge
to do so, so letting it sit in my unheated basement in the coming
winter months would be how I'd probably do it.)

Should I chill it first? And if so (or not too, I guess) what should I
clarify it with? (Preferably not eggs or cow blood...)

Three months isn't very much time for bulk aging. I'd leave it alone for 6
months (topped up and sulfited, of course) before deciding whether to fine
it or not.

If you're hell bent on fining this wine, try bentonite, kieselsohl and
either gelatin or isinglass. Those combos work well for me, but bear in
mind that I make grape wine. BTW, it's better to fine _before_ cold
stabilizing. The tartrate crystals tend to tamp down the fining lees.

Suggested doses:
~1 lb/1000 gal kieselsohl + 2 lb/1000 gal bentonite +
either gelatin (¼ - 1 lb/1000 gal),
_or_ isinglass (2 - 6 ounces/1000 gal).

You should do fining trials to zero in on the best combination and dosage of
finings.

Tom S


I have an Apple that I started from juice in October 2002... It
cleared nicely... until I added Wine Conditioner in June 2003... Then
it went cloudy. I racked it in September and it clouded up to
opaque... The wine tastes good and smells good. Has anyone had this
happen before?

Later,
A. J.

My first dandelion wine cleared fine, but this one is proving to be a
challenge at almost 6 months. From a previous thread, the suggestion was to
fine with bentonite, then cold stabilize - the feeling was that the tartaric
crystals will damp down fine bentonite lees. This is kind of what I'm
thinking of doing. Then I would rack, stabilize, and sweeten if it needs
it, wait a month and then bottle.
Darlene

"Roger" wrote in message
k.net...
I also have a dandelion wine from this spring that refuses to clear or
even
stop fermenting. I keep adding a small amount of sugar and it starts
right
back up.

--
Roger & Lynda

"Dar V" wrote in message
...
I agree with Tom, 3 months is a little young yet. And you're right, you
wouldn't want to bottle it when it is cloudy. I had this very stubborn
watermelon wine which wouldn't clear and wouldn't clear. I did use the
coldest part of my basement to try to clear a wine in the winter months,
and
it did work. It finally got as good as I thought it would get and I
bottled
it. Everything was fine until my basement warmed up a few degrees this
summer - the corks started popping. You just don't know what is
suspended
in the wine - like leftover yeast. I have a dandelion wine which is not
clearing as quickly as my wines usually do. I've already determined
that
it
is not a starch haze, nor a pectin haze. I will wait until the wine is
at
least 6 months old before I consider fining.
Darlene

"evilpaul13" wrote in message
om...
I made an apple wine a little while back (probably three months). I
racked it twice, and when I shine a flashlight through it, the beam of
light is still very much visible.

This presumably means if I bottled it I'll end up with crap in the
bottoms of my bottles.

I added pectic enzyme already, so I'd think it's either yeast still in
suspension, or just misc junk. (I used Lavlin EC1118 ["Champagne
yeast", iirc.])

As this is a white wine being made from apples and all, I'd think I
should cold stabilize it first before fining? (I don't have a fridge
to do so, so letting it sit in my unheated basement in the coming
winter months would be how I'd probably do it.)

Should I chill it first? And if so (or not too, I guess) what should I
clarify it with? (Preferably not eggs or cow blood...)

"A.J. Rawls" wrote:

I have an Apple that I started from juice in October 2002... It
cleared nicely... until I added Wine Conditioner in June 2003... Then
it went cloudy. I racked it in September and it clouded up to
opaque... The wine tastes good and smells good. Has anyone had this
happen before?

Someone else complained of this recently, and less than a week after I said
I never heard of it, it happened to me. It's most likely a protein haze. If
so, bentonite will cure it within 2 weeks.