Ok, I have a wine kit I'm doing. It's done fermenting and I've racked
this thing three times. I've added isinglass to it twice and bentonite
once. It's not clarifying. I even put it out on the porch to cold
condition it and it's not settling out. It's just really hazy looking
and I'm not sure why. It tastes fine and smells fine but I'm stumped.
I was thinking of adding some pectic enzyme to it but I'm not sure if I
should.

It's a Riesling kit. And It's going on to two months now. Any help
would be appreciated.

Two months is a little early to be hitting the panic button. Sometimes
they just take longer.

Pectic enzyme shouldn't hurt anything, but if it's a kit, that really
shouldn't be necessary.

The first thing I'd look at is whether it still has a lot of CO2 in it
- the carbonation can prevent or delay settling. De-gas throroughly
with a long spoon or drill-mounted de-gassing tool. If it still hasn't
started to clear after another month or two, I'd try Sparkolloid. I've
had good luck with that stuff, when all else failed.

Doug

Did you follow the instructions *exactly*? I recently started a
WineXpert kit and it specifies that a week after transfer to secondary
fermenter to stir to degas the wine and add sulfite, sorbate, and
isinglass -- but do NOT rack. Instructions state that if the sediment
isn't mixed back in the wine won't clear properly.

No clue what this is true, but I've discovered that following the
directions works better than using my normal winemaking knowledge. :-)

This doesn't help with your problem, but it may help diagnose the
cause. You might also contact the manufacturer. They may have
suggestions on their web site, or may answer emails.

It shouldn't need pectic enzyme, but that would be my first try. If
nothing else, it won't hurt. If it's only a couple months into the
process and if smells fine (not oxidized) then it's not yet time to
worry.

Bryan


On 3 Nov 2006 11:08:25 -0800, wrote:

>Ok, I have a wine kit I'm doing. It's done fermenting and I've racked
>this thing three times. I've added isinglass to it twice and bentonite
>once. It's not clarifying. I even put it out on the porch to cold
>condition it and it's not settling out. It's just really hazy looking
>and I'm not sure why. It tastes fine and smells fine but I'm stumped.
>I was thinking of adding some pectic enzyme to it but I'm not sure if I
>should.
>
>It's a Riesling kit. And It's going on to two months now. Any help
>would be appreciated.

I'm just concerned because this has never happened to me with a kit
before. I've done dozens of kits and this is the first time I've had a
strong haze look to it. I know there isn't any co2 left in it. There
is a little head space so i think I'm going to lay a blanket of co2 on
it and just let it sit for a while and hope it settles out. And I am
getting the sparkloid, too, just in case. Someone told me it helps
neutralize the positive and negative ions in the wine and allows
everything to drop out of suspension. Anyone ever hear of this?

First: What brand (exact kit name please) of Riesling. This may help
someone to diagnose the problem. Fixes for generic rieslings may not
work.

Second, I know you said that there is no CO2. Have you checked? CO2
is definitely a possible cause.

Finally, some clearing agents attach to positively charged particles.
Others to negatively charged ones.

Steve


On 3 Nov 2006 13:06:55 -0800, wrote:

>I'm just concerned because this has never happened to me with a kit
>before. I've done dozens of kits and this is the first time I've had a
>strong haze look to it. I know there isn't any co2 left in it. There
>is a little head space so i think I'm going to lay a blanket of co2 on
>it and just let it sit for a while and hope it settles out. And I am
>getting the sparkloid, too, just in case. Someone told me it helps
>neutralize the positive and negative ions in the wine and allows
>everything to drop out of suspension. Anyone ever hear of this?

If you followed the instructions, it should be clearing by now. But that
said, 2 months is not long for a wine in general. If you really want to
force the issue, and I would not argue against it, you could use SuperClear.
It will pretty much clear over night. I do use it on a number of my whites,
though I have never needed it on a kit wine and I have made a number of
Riesling kits.

Ray

> wrote in message
ps.com...
> Ok, I have a wine kit I'm doing. It's done fermenting and I've racked
> this thing three times. I've added isinglass to it twice and bentonite
> once. It's not clarifying. I even put it out on the porch to cold
> condition it and it's not settling out. It's just really hazy looking
> and I'm not sure why. It tastes fine and smells fine but I'm stumped.
> I was thinking of adding some pectic enzyme to it but I'm not sure if I
> should.
>
> It's a Riesling kit. And It's going on to two months now. Any help
> would be appreciated.
>
>