Sediment in my bottled wine

[audmkamp]

So I seemed to have committed what sounds to be the cardinal sin #1 of wine making - bottling cloudy wine.

I thought my traminette wine seemed clear when I bottled it, but now 2 weeks later in the bottle there is a cover of sediment on the bottom of each bottle. It definitely did clear further in the bottle, but will be impossible to pour w/o getting some sediment in glasses.

What are the possible consequences of leaving it this way? Should I pour them all out into a carboy, let the sediment clear out again & then rebottle?

I'm definitely considering a filter going forward!

 

[RCGoodin]

I'd put it back in the carboy and add a new batch of clearing agents.

I filter everything with great results and no loss of flavor and have never had this problem.

Good luck and please post your results.

 

[dralarms]

I agree, I've stopped bottling wine until it's ready. I've got 18 gallons Muscadine that I really want to bottle but ut keeps dropping just a little in the carboys.

 

[jamesngalveston]

did you add sorbate to this wine.

 

[vacuumpumpman]

Don't feel that you are the first -LOL
Yes I would also uncork them all and let them all settle out prior to bottling again. As for filtering it is designed to be used once the wine is clear and then polish your wine thru a filter.

 

[Runningwolf]

I with the first two folks about dumping back into the carboy. Painful as it is I've done it several times. My last one being a chardonnay that decided to go through an mlf in the bottle.

Leaving it in the bottle; use it yourself and enjoy it, pour in a decanter before pouring it for friends, DON'T give any away
Rebottling; a wine you can brag about and give to your friends with no worries. If you chose this route add more meta immediately to avoid oxidation.

 

[audmkamp]

Sounds like it is going back in the carboy! Big lesson in patience learned.

I did add Kmeta and and sorbate to the wine prior to bottling.

 

[Runningwolf]

Sounds like it is going back in the carboy! Big lesson in patience learned.

I did add Kmeta and and sorbate to the wine prior to bottling.

I personally would add meta again. You lose So2 during bottling and you'll lose more pouring it back into the carboy.

 

[mmadmikes1]

Sounds like it is going back in the carboy! Big lesson in patience learned.

I did add Kmeta and and sorbate to the wine prior to bottling.

Do not add second dose of sorbate , yes on K meta. Thats right you all saw me type add K meta RIGHT but dumping wine back into carboy is going to add a lot of O2 exposer and the K meta will help with to prevent oxidation.

 

[bkisel]

With my very first kit... RJS customer support recommended and I did dump all the bottled wine back into a clean and santized carboy. Forget whether they had me do additional sorbate. All turned out fine in the end.

 

[Julie]

Besides what everyone else has said, I just want you to know, that your wine will clear on it's own given enough time. While filtering is fine, I don't want you to think to get a clear wine you have to filter.

 

[audmkamp]

Thanks again to everyone for the input. I did dose with additional KMeta after putting the wine back into the carboy. I'll let it sit a few more weeks before looking to rebottle. I'm glad to hear I probably have little to worry about.

 

[seth8530]

I would look at a few more months instead of weeks perhaps. How old is this wine? How long has the gravity been stable for? Did you ever add sorbate to the wine? Where is your gravity sitting? Did you back sweeten recently? All are important things to know or consider.

 

[vernsgal]

NO SORBATE needed for this. I've read this several times and I'm not sure where sorbate became the issue. Follow all other advice and rack and leave it sit( don't forget Dan's note on adding a bit more k-meta.
And don't worry! all is well

 

[Boatboy24]

You could also consider cold stabilization to speed up clearing. Seeing that you're in Indiana, a couple weeks in your garage would probably do it.

 

[mmadmikes1]

Do not double dose sorbate!!!!!!

 

[JohnT]

I with the first two folks about dumping back into the carboy. Painful as it is I've done it several times. My last one being a chardonnay that decided to go through an mlf in the bottle.

Leaving it in the bottle; use it yourself and enjoy it, pour in a decanter before pouring it for friends, DON'T give any away

I agree with dan on the bit about leaving it in the bottle.

bottle sediment is the one of the reasons we have decanters. Also, It might not be such a good idea to have the massive amount of aeration that comes with rebottling.

 

[garymc]

Is sediment the reason wine bottles have a punt in the bottom? If I have some that forms sediment months or a year down the road and I give it to someone, I just tell them I didn't put as much poison in it as the commercial wineries do.

 

[audmkamp]

You could also consider cold stabilization to speed up clearing. Seeing that you're in Indiana, a couple weeks in your garage would probably do it.

It did already spend a couple weeks out in the shed. I had a LOT of acid crystals settle out. Brought it back in when the top half froze... was afraid of losing it all if the carboy cracked.

 

[audmkamp]

Do not double dose sorbate!!!!!!

I'm noticing a lot of don't sorbate, don't sorbate, don't sorbate posts in different threads. Can someone point me to some good write-ups of the merits and demerits of sorbate in wine?