Clyde, you have made these points before. Most of what I have read about
making wine at home has talked about the probability of striping things out
of the wine when you fine or filter -- as if it was something to do as a
last resort. You have really got me thinking. Do you have any suggestions
on fining programs that might positively effect the wine in ways other than
clearing it? In other words, specific benefits for different types of
fining agents?

Ray

"Clyde Gill" > wrote in message
om...
> > I know a lot of people use clarifying agents; is there anyone else out
> > there who lets it all clear just by the simple passage of time and
gravity?
> > I do my ferment, add campden tablets after a couple months to stop
> > fermentation as much as possible, watch it settle to near-crystalline
> > clarity, then rack into another carboy, add preservative and wait for
final
> > clarification. It can take a very long time....... ;-)
> > Bob
>
> I understand your point Bob, and have actually produced commercial
> wine recently that was neither fined nor filtered. It was a red that
> had been aged for two years in oak barrels and was as clear as any
> wine. Just had to see for myself.
>
> But I feel compelled to mention that fining has other purposes beyond
> clarification. Namely, the organoleptic qualities of the wine can be
> greatly improved sometimes with proper, judicious finings. I've done
> fining trials before on my reds, but have never seen any improvements
> from the treatment.
>
> Also, along these lines, it's a common misconception that filtration's
> main function is clarification. When I filter, it's mainly to remove
> microbial beasts: brilliant clarification is just a nice side effect.
>
> If you've never tried these techniques of winemaking, then you could
> not possibly know whether they have positive effects on your wine.
> But if you're content with your current procedures, that's all that
> really matters.
>
> clyde
> Steelville, Missouri, USofA
> http://www.PeacefulBend.com
> http://www.vinic.com
>