I goofed and need help!

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drainsurgeon

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I posted this in the specialty wines section (in a Skittle wine thread) about 4 days ago and got no response so I'm going to try here.

I just started my first Skittle wine about 4 weeks ago and now wish I had read this whole thread through first. The wax in the primary was a messy nightmare to clean up. Freezer to remove most of the wax next time. My biggest goof was the pectolase. After looking all over the supermarket for pectolase I asked a couple of ladies in the baking isle what pectolase was and they both guessed pectin. So that's what went into this batch! I am also having a bit of trouble getting it to clear so added chitosan yesterday and within hours there was a 1" layer of lees on the bottom of the 6 gallon carboy. It's still pretty cloudy however and not sure if I should proceed with the Amylase or Bentonite or adding the Pectic Enzyme at this time. Or maybe a combination?? Any suggestions?
 
I posted this in the specialty wines section (in a Skittle wine thread) about 4 days ago and got no response so I'm going to try here.

I just started my first Skittle wine about 4 weeks ago and now wish I had read this whole thread through first. The wax in the primary was a messy nightmare to clean up. Freezer to remove most of the wax next time. My biggest goof was the pectolase. After looking all over the supermarket for pectolase I asked a couple of ladies in the baking isle what pectolase was and they both guessed pectin. So that's what went into this batch! I am also having a bit of trouble getting it to clear so added chitosan yesterday and within hours there was a 1" layer of lees on the bottom of the 6 gallon carboy. It's still pretty cloudy however and not sure if I should proceed with the Amylase or Bentonite or adding the Pectic Enzyme at this time. Or maybe a combination?? Any suggestions?

If you really added pectin instead of pectic enzyme, that could be a big source of your issue. Pectin is what folks add to make solutions become gelatinous, like jellies and jams. Before you try anything else, try a dose of pectic enzyme to remove the pectin you have added.

If that doesn't solve your problem, the clearing combo that has always worked best for me is a combination of both chitosan and bentonite. Together, they attract, bind, and precipitate out both negatively and positively charged particles. Were this my wine, my next attempt to clear it further would be to add an appropriate dose of bentonite to the wine, stir all of that mess back up into solution and allow a couple of weeks to clear.
 
I posted this in the specialty wines section (in a Skittle wine thread) about 4 days ago and got no response so I'm going to try here.

I just started my first Skittle wine about 4 weeks ago and now wish I had read this whole thread through first. The wax in the primary was a messy nightmare to clean up. Freezer to remove most of the wax next time. My biggest goof was the pectolase. After looking all over the supermarket for pectolase I asked a couple of ladies in the baking isle what pectolase was and they both guessed pectin. So that's what went into this batch! I am also having a bit of trouble getting it to clear so added chitosan yesterday and within hours there was a 1" layer of lees on the bottom of the 6 gallon carboy. It's still pretty cloudy however and not sure if I should proceed with the Amylase or Bentonite or adding the Pectic Enzyme at this time. Or maybe a combination?? Any suggestions?


I have made this three times now and the only success I have had is using amylase enzyme, it has cleared up really nice. I did not add until got done with the wax forming issue. Good luck!
 

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