Kieselsol and Chitosan Test results

[wineview]

Thank you for that extensive test. Since I age all my wines for 12 months before bottling, I don’t plan on using K&C unless, as you stated, a wine really needs it.

 

[Shurt1073]

+1 ... I'm going to conduct a similar experiment based off Bryans information. I have a FWK Syrah five days from finish fermenting (July 4th), and I intend to rack into glass, wait like you to rack again, add Kmeta and let sit for 10-11 months. The only change is at 10-11 months, I plan to split the batch into 3 gallon carboys and add K&C to one carboy and just filter the second 3 gallon carboy without K&C. Should give me an opportunity to taste Syrah with and without clearing agents that has been bulk aged for the same amount of time. Should know something in about a year! Bryan doesn't mention sorbate in his article, unless I missed it, so I'm not using it either. Guessing he's not back sweetening and he's bulk aging long enough sorbate isn't needed .... one less chemical.

Keep in mind I'm not expert here. I've got about 9 wines going plus what I've bottled in the past 4 months gives me more wine than I've ever in my life! lol Yes, 1 kit per year average to 9 in four months. Talk about jumping into winemaking with both feet.

I love it ..... gives us all something to talk about in a year.

So we are 1/4th or a quarter into my experiment with the FWK Syrah. Thanks Bryan for the results ..... I viewed them in July on your site.

 

[Shurt1073]

+1 ... I'm going to conduct a similar experiment based off Bryans information. I have a FWK Syrah five days from finish fermenting (July 4th), and I intend to rack into glass, wait like you to rack again, add Kmeta and let sit for 10-11 months. The only change is at 10-11 months, I plan to split the batch into 3 gallon carboys and add K&C to one carboy and just filter the second 3 gallon carboy without K&C. Should give me an opportunity to taste Syrah with and without clearing agents that has been bulk aged for the same amount of time. Should know something in about a year! Bryan doesn't mention sorbate in his article, unless I missed it, so I'm not using it either. Guessing he's not back sweetening and he's bulk aging long enough sorbate isn't needed .... one less chemical.

Update 11-06-2023:

Today I racked the FWK Syrah into a clean carboy and added K-meta. I did not use the clearing agents in June-July per instructions. There was not as much sediment as I expected today and my plan is to not rack again until its time to split the 6 gallons in a few months. Pulled off one glass and this Syrah for 5 months is very nice although its not a clear wine. I have five other wines in carboys which I used the clearing agents and all five are much noticeably clearer than the FWK Syrah w/o clearing agents.

 

[Bmd2k1]

Just curious -- for those that do use K&C, typically how long does it take for your wine to clear?

Cheers!

 

[winemaker81]

Just curious -- for those that do use K&C, typically how long does it take for your wine to clear?

Most of the time I notice clearing begins within an hour or two of the addition, and I don't see any more sediment build-up after a couple of days.

One difference was a FWK Chardonnay (pre-carbon), which took several days to start clearing, and (IIRC) it took more than a week to fully clear.

 

[Nebbiolo020]

Most of the time I notice clearing begins within an hour or two of the addition, and I don't see any more sediment build-up after a couple of days.

One difference was a FWK Chardonnay (pre-carbon), which took several days to start clearing, and (IIRC) it took more than a week to fully clear.

I have had it clear white wines in 8 hours it’s fast, I usually let it sit 48 in reds then bottle them immediately after. I only use K&C or I fine with egg whites I don’t use filters they strip too much out of wines and every single filtered wine I have ever tried has been flat and lifeless it damages wines a lot and reduces color in a lot of cases.

I let a wine sit and if time doesn’t get all the sediment then I use one of the 2 listed methods. Even at the winery we do that for our commercial Wines.