Bruce_Nolte_N3LSY& wrote:
> 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

Tom S had an excellent response to Paddy O's request for help here on
the NG about problems with cloudiness in red wines, and goes into more
detail than I can give.