Alternative to cold stabilization

[Arkansan07]

I just bottled my first batch of muscadine wine. Shortly after I came upon one of the threads about tartaric crystals. So out of curiosity I stuck a bottle in the fridge and in a couple days time I had alot of crystals dropping out. I have read about cold stabilization, but I dont have a spare fridge for a carboy. I know I could do the ice bath, but was curious if there is another way to make the crystals drop without it?

 

[GreginND]

No, there is no way to crystallize the metabitartrate without cooling it.

The tartrates in the bottle are really only a cosmetic concern. They are not harmful. And you can decant the wine off them or run it through an aerating filter when you serve it.

You could explore the use of metatartaric acid. Adding this to the wine helps prevent the formation of the tartrate crystals. It doesn't remove any acidity and it doesn't add to the acidity. I have not tried it but as I understand it is only temporary. After a year or so tartrate crystals can precipitate.

Here's a good white paper on tartaric acid stability:

https://www.extension.iastate.edu/NR/rdonlyres/173729E4-C734-486A-AD16-778678B3E1CF/73965/MethodsforTartrateStabilizationofWine.pdf

 

[Runningwolf]

You could use VinoStab then there is no need at all to cold stabilize. As a home winemaker it may be impossible to find and probably cost prohibitive. I use it if I have to rush a wine through cold stabilization and into the bottle just for extra insurance.

 

[bkisel]

I've not seen this with any of the kit wine I've made. I wonder if it is something that just doesn't happen with kit wines?

 

[loumik]

I've not seen this with any of the kit wine I've made. I wonder if it is something that just doesn't happen with kit wines?

Yes they do precipitate out in kit wines. I have a 3 year old Mosti Mondiale Amarone and Barolo that have wine diamonds in every bottle that I have opened. But these wines have turned out so good I don't worry about it.

LOUMIK

 

[Wiz]

Dan, here in Costa Rica I also do not have the facilities to cold stabilize. Will Vinostab also do the job when adding potassium bicarbonate for lowering acidic content?

 

[Runningwolf]

I cannot honestly answer that. The product comes from Germany. Here is a link to it.

 

[GreginND]

Aha, VinoStab is CMC (Carboxymethylcellulose). I thought it was not allowed in commercial wine but the TTB has approved it for use in 2012 (limited to 0.8%).

http://www.ttb.gov/wine/wine_treating_materials.shtml

Dan, is your experience that it is long lasting (unlike metatartaric acid)?

 

[Runningwolf]

My experience is I just used it yesterday for the first time. I used it on a wine that was cold stabilized down to 13° but it but still wanted to throw a few diamonds, rather then chance that in a bottle we went this route. I have not heard any negative comments about it actually working from any wineries. If you over dose it you'll have filtration issues and you cannot add anything else to the wine once you introduce this 3-4 days before bottling.

Greg I used about 75ml per hectoliter.