Hi!

I have a problem wine, a cab/merlot made from a kit. It refused to
clear so eventually I did the pectin haze test found on Jack Kellers
site. It showed that it was definatly a pectin problem.

I consulted with my homebrew shop and they recommended to first add
some pectin enzyme and to filter. The problem is with the pectin
enzyme. After I added to the wine it has a nasty taste. I can't really
describe it but it's a unpleastent bite to the wine. The pectin enzyme
did smell when I diluted it with water but I thought that was normal.
Is it?

Is this something that will go away?

Worried regards,
Joaquin

LG > wrote in message >. ..
> (Joaquin) wrote:
>
> >Yes, I thought that it might have been spoiled in some way too. I
> >bought some more pectin enzyme in another shop and it wasn't the same.
> >More or less the same smell but way weaker than the first batch.
> >
> >The wine is probably oxidized too due to all the racking and filtering
> >I've done. I'll probably just filter it again and bottle and hope for
> >the best. If it doesn't turn out ok I'll just dump it.
>
> Doh.. don't give up yet! I hate to hear of a perfectly unrepaired batch
> going to waste!
>
> Maybe try a few things..
> * fining with gelatain/kieselsol (tends to strip a wine a little,
> but may also strip some bad flavours/spoilage too)
> * cold stabalization
> * filtering again, after the above two
>
> After it's stripped a little but not completely horrible.. you could just
> freeze it, collect the 1st half of the runoff, then toss the leftover ice..
> add some sugar to 1.020 and now you might have some instant port that might
> not be half bad! (oxidization isn't as bad for something that ends up as a
> port wine methinks) Then bottle it! Worst case is you've bottled half the
> amount you would have had to.
>
> LG

Nah, I haven't given up yet. That was my frustration talking

I tasted the wine again today and it seems that the bad taste of the
pectin enzyme has gone away now after a week or so. It still has a
slight haze, even after filtration, but I think I'll leave it as it
is. Would it be a Bad Thing to bottle a wine with a haze? If it hasn't
settled by now I don't think it'll settle in the bottle either, right?

I've already done the gelatin/kiselsol fining and the cold
stabilization so I don't think that would help.

Talking about the pectin enzyme. Is it supposed to break down the
proteins to smaller molecules so that the wine looks clear or does it
make the pectin proteins settle?

Joaquin ) wrote:
>LG > wrote in message >. ..
>> (Joaquin) wrote:
>>
>> >Yes, I thought that it might have been spoiled in some way too. I
>> >bought some more pectin enzyme in another shop and it wasn't the same.
>> >More or less the same smell but way weaker than the first batch.
>> >
>> >The wine is probably oxidized too due to all the racking and filtering
>> >I've done. I'll probably just filter it again and bottle and hope for
>> >the best. If it doesn't turn out ok I'll just dump it.
>>
>> Doh.. don't give up yet! I hate to hear of a perfectly unrepaired batch
>> going to waste!
>>
>> Maybe try a few things..
>> * fining with gelatain/kieselsol (tends to strip a wine a little,
>> but may also strip some bad flavours/spoilage too)
>> * cold stabalization
>> * filtering again, after the above two
>>
>> After it's stripped a little but not completely horrible.. you could just
>> freeze it, collect the 1st half of the runoff, then toss the leftover ice..
>> add some sugar to 1.020 and now you might have some instant port that might
>> not be half bad! (oxidization isn't as bad for something that ends up as a
>> port wine methinks) Then bottle it! Worst case is you've bottled half the
>> amount you would have had to.
>>
>> LG

>Nah, I haven't given up yet. That was my frustration talking

>I tasted the wine again today and it seems that the bad taste of the
>pectin enzyme has gone away now after a week or so. It still has a
>slight haze, even after filtration, but I think I'll leave it as it
>is. Would it be a Bad Thing to bottle a wine with a haze? If it hasn't
>settled by now I don't think it'll settle in the bottle either, right?

>I've already done the gelatin/kiselsol fining and the cold
>stabilization so I don't think that would help.

>Talking about the pectin enzyme. Is it supposed to break down the
>proteins to smaller molecules so that the wine looks clear or does it
>make the pectin proteins settle?

Close. Pectic enzyme, oddly enough, breaks down pectin, a polymer
made up mainly of strings of a derivative of galactose (a sugar).
If you do have a pectic haze (which you can test for with methyl
alcohol additions to a small sample, I think), pectic enzyme will
clear it right up.

I can't remember what kind of wine it is--have you tested for
protein haze, which is a different problem than a pectic haze?
Bentonite is used to clear proteins, but it's normally done before
they agglomerate into a visible haze.

Dave
************************************************** **************************
Dave Breeden

(Joaquin) wrote:

>Nah, I haven't given up yet. That was my frustration talking
>
>I tasted the wine again today and it seems that the bad taste of the
>pectin enzyme has gone away now after a week or so. It still has a
>slight haze, even after filtration, but I think I'll leave it as it
>is. Would it be a Bad Thing to bottle a wine with a haze? If it hasn't
>settled by now I don't think it'll settle in the bottle either, right?

Time usually never hurts. If you have a bit of a haze, it might be
smart to be on the safe side and let it age a few months and see if it drops
anything, in which case you can make a decision then.

Ian

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