On 3/24/2011 7:38 PM, Doug Miller wrote:
> In >, > wrote:
>> I have a persistent haze in a chardonnay, made from frozen juice. The
>> wine was finished too late to put it out for a cold stabilitzation.
>> After completing an MLF, I couldn't get rid of a diffuse haze. I
>> tried bentonite, and then superkleer. When that didn't work, I
>> thought it might be a protein haze, but pectic enzyme (that I had
>> initially used, but then repeated, didn't clear the wine at all.
>>
>> Finally, I put the wine through a filtration, with perfect results.
>>
>> I then put the carboy in a large refrigerator, hoping to precipitate
>> out the excess tartaric acid, and the haze came back.
>>
>> Interestingly, I had a small jug of the wine, left over, that wouldn't
>> fit in the carboy, and this small jug, in the refrigerator,
>> crystalized out perfectly, and is clear.
>>
>> So, I suspect that the new haze is due to micro-crystals of tartaric.
> I'd agree.
>
>> Does anyone have any other ideas? I doubt that this haze will clear
>> on its own. Should I re-filter? re-fine? I've even allowed the
>> carboy to warm up a bit, but it hasn't changed, and is diffusely
>> cloudy.
>>
>> Any thoughts would be appreciated.
> I think I'd keep it chilled. Leave it alone for at least two weeks, then see
> what it looks like. If it is microcrystals of tartaric acid, the haze will
> disappear when the wine reaches room temperature -- but of course it will
> reappear as soon as you chill the bottled wine. I vote for leaving it cold;
> see if the haze precipitates out. If it does, rack it, filter if necessary,
> then bottle. If it doesn't, then you need to be looking for other causes.
I have 18 galons of Crabapple that sat in a cool area for two years and
had a persistent haze. I tried Pectic Exzyme and the haze persisted. I
tried SuperKleer and the haze persisted. I filtered the wine with a
SuperJet with #2 pads and the haze persisted. I treated one carboy with
Hot Mix Sparkloid and it fell sparkling clear in four weeks.

I cannot explain it, but it worked.

Later,
A. J. Rawls
Anchorage, Alaska, USA