spud wrote:

> Hello:
>
> Have a few reds (Cab, Zin,a Gamay, Concord, Blackberry) from this
> falls flurry of winemaking.
>
> The garage has been +/- 10deg C (50deg F) until this week when the
> temps dropped to +/- 6deg C (42deg F).
>
> The wines, all of them have been clearing nicely and I was thinking of
> bottling the blackberry this weekend. But all of the reds have
> clouded up, top to bottom!
>
> What is going on? Is this a major problem? Help!
>
> TIA!
>
> Steve - Noobie
> Oregon

Perhaps something has stirred up the sediment. Any jokesters around the
house? Seriously though, drawing on my knowledge from high school and
college chemistry, when the temperature drops, certain salts and
chemicals present in the wine may precipitate out due to the low
temperatures. They might redissolve, but then again, maybe not. I have
this happen frequently when I make ice tea from teabags. The brewed tea
is perfectly clear, but if I leave it overnight in a pitcher in the
refrigerator, it will be cloudy by morning. It might possibly have
something to do with the water used to make up the wine, or perhaps you
have bacterial activity, which is leaving new residues in the wine. Your
nose should be able to tell if something is amiss if this is the case.

If everything smells okay, I would wait and see if it clears out on its
own. If everything is okay so far, you should not be in a hurry to
bottle the wine yet. Fermentation of my fall wine was a protracted
affair due to the low temperatures in the unheated garage I did my
fermentations in, but my wine cleared just fine, and has some potential
to be a good wine. I ended up moving the wine to the basement to age in
a cool dark and undisturbed environment until at least Spring before I
bottle it, and fermentation restarted a bit. I understand your desire
to enjoy the finished product, but a good red needs to be aged at least
a year to be really ready to be enjoyed.

In the meantime, check out some of the Internet resources for specific
advice on clearing up the wine. Pay attention to the amount of acid and
tannin in the wine, these can affect its ability to clear. If you still
have issues with clarity in a few months when you are ready to bottle
it, egg whites, gelatin, and Bentonite Clay are inexpensive and reliable
standbys that can be added to the wine to assist clearing.

Good Luck and 73 de Bruce N3LSY