Vineco EU Select Barolo issues

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JDesCotes

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I am getting ready to bottle my European select barolo on Sunday and have rack it about 4 times. Now, when I rack (after 48 hours) there is no lees left, however the last half is a little bit less clear then the first half when siphoning. It's not cloudy by any means, but when I hold a light up to the top half, I can see it. And I can't when I hold it up to the bottom half.

I also noticed that over the past couple of days the wine has lost some of its body and mouthfeel. A week ago it was turning out REALLY good and I was considering cracking open a bottle directly after bottling WITHOUT aging, last night it tasted kind of light... Though it will probably get better with age.

I would like to get the wine clearer and am considering adding a different fining agent (chetosan and kiesosol were already used), but will that effect the color or depth of flavor? Or is this something that using a wine filter during bottling would fix? My local wine making shop rents one for $5...
 
It sounds to me like you still have a very fine sediment suspended in your wine if the top half is clear and the bottom half is not. Do you plan to bulk age or bottle age this wine? Barolo, as it is produced in Italy, is a wine that is aged for at least 3 years in order to receive the DOCG designation, and at least two of these years must be in oak. While filtering certainly would not hurt the wine, I am not sure it will clear it as you expect. I suggest bulk aging in a barrel or carboy. During this process, the last of the suspended particles should settle out. You would then rack one more time and then bottle. I would caution against bottling at this time if there is even a fine sediment. It will always be in the bottle.
 
Ok, I was planning on bottle aging for about 6 months. Would it be worth the money to rent the wine filter? Do they make a difference?


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It is quite possible that the wine has not been fully degassed and this can prevent proper clearing. I suggest you warm the wine up to about 75* F and degass it well, then hit it with Superkleer, let it sit for at least a week or two and then filter and follow your bottling instructions, assuming you are not bulk aging.
The change in taste/mouthfeel can change drastically at these stages of racking, bottling,etc, so it not something to worry about.
Filtering is something I usually do - it tends to polish the wine and also pick up anything that may have been missed in racking. IMO filtering does not negatively affect the wine.
In general, kit wines do not require multiple rackings, so I would suggest you limit them for future kits you make. This will reduce loss of wine to sediment and also reduce possible oxygen exposure. Do not be afraid to rack over sediment in the first racking- anything that can go through the siphon hose, should. I try to limit my wines to two rackings, generally bulk age and then filter.
Good luck.
 

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