Bentonite and/or Sparkolloid: Comparative Study

[g8keeper]

Thanks for the link, Ken (liked it!).

you're welcome dave.....following the thread had led me to start doing some snooping around the web, found that article, and figured i could help contribute with my findings....i felt the article applied to your experiment....

 

[BobF]

Dave - Quick question. You talk about the darkness difference between the batches. Is the color actually deeper and darker, or is the bentonite version more opaque?

 

[SarahRides]

So 24 hours after adding the bentonite, my pineapple wine is crystal clear! I'm going to still let it sit for a few weeks to give the sediment time to settle and compact.

 

[dangerdave]

Dave - Quick question. You talk about the darkness difference between the batches. Is the color actually deeper and darker, or is the bentonite version more opaque?

They were both opaque. The color of batch A really looked darker in the fermenters.

 

[dangerdave]

So 24 hours after adding the bentonite, my pineapple wine is crystal clear! I'm going to still let it sit for a few weeks to give the sediment time to settle and compact.

That's what I did not do. Perhaps if I would, the sediment would be easier to work around. However...

 

[dangerdave]

Batch X

Well, I got distracted by Batch X. I started this batch of Dragon Blood on May 28th. It was my first batch of this kind using bentonite in the primary. It was degassed, stabilized, and cleared (with sparkolloid) on June 6th. On June 11th, it looked like this...

The sediments in the bottom still looked very fluffy. If I had let them sit longer (a week or more), they likely would have been compact. However, be as I am trying to make---with the Dragon Blood---fast, cheap, good wine, I decided to proceed and check out the consistancy of the lees.

A last look before racking...

So, long story short (if it's not too late), I carefully racked off the sediment into another clean/sanitized carboy. I really don't think the sediments were any easier to handle with the use of the bentonite at this point. The flavor was even more boldly berry than my previous batches. There was definately less acid from the lemon and more berry flavor. Following my normal recipe, I back-sweetened with four cups of white granulated sugar---that is, to my taste.

It looked so beautifully clear the next day, that I proceeded to bottle it right there. After only 15 days since first mixing the must, the Dragon Blood was as drinkable as ever! I am just blown away by this batch. I'm anxious to proceed with the other two batches (A&B), and see how quickly they can be ready to bottle and drink!

Here's the Dragon Blood, Batch X, bottled after only 15 days!!!

 

[dangerdave]

Back to Batches A&B

BATCHES A & B:

June 8th, 2012: DAY 4
Both batches: SG=1.030 @ 75F (added secind dose of nutrient/energizer)

June 9th, 2012: DAY 5
Both batches: SG=1.005 @ 75F

June 11th, 2012: DAY 7
Both batches: SG=0.990 @ 75F

June 12th, 2012: DAY 8
Both batches: SG=0.990 @ 75F

Batches A & B, being dry, were ready to be racked, stabilized, and cleared. The day before, I had squeezed the fruit bags and stirred the wines one last time. I let them sit for 24 hours and then racked them through the spigot into their respective carboys, leaving most of the gross lees behind in the buckets. There did not appear to be any difference between the two batches' lees except for the aforementioned color. A left, B right:

The two batches were degassed...

...stabilized, and cleared with sparkolloid (per manufacturer's instruction). Here they sit, slowly clearing since June 12th...

June 14th, 2012: DAY 10 (AM)

June 14th, 2012: DAY 10 (PM)

They are getting clearer by the hour! A left, B right.

 

[oldwhiskers]

Looking good, and fast too!!

 

[dangerdave]

Continued Clearing...

The race is on! The next four to six days will likely tell the tale.

June 15th: DAY 11
Batch A:

Batch B:

Interesting! The batch without the bentonite (B; sparkolloid only) appears to be clearing faster! I hadn't figured on this! One would think that the bentonite would have, at the least, reduced the clearing time---as it appeared to do with Batch X. I am presuming that all three batches were created under the exact same conditions, even though I know this is not so. Slight variations in temperature---even a few degrees---can change the level of gasses removed during degassing. All variables here are human, and therefore only controlled within a certain range. But I digress...

June 16th: DAY 12 (AM)
A left, B right. It may be hard to see, but B has a slight lead in clarity.

 

[saramc]

Dave: This article has a lot of useful information http://www.brsquared.org/wine/Articles/fining.htm
And I don't know if you came across this article by Purdue on Bentonite/Importance of Bentonite Trials for EACH/EVERY wine you choose to use bentonite in: http://www.extension.purdue.edu/extmedia/FS/FS-53-W.pdf

It has a lot of interesting information about bentonite and its impact on many things (including loss/change of color in rose/blush wine). Also said: Bentonite fining before fermentation may lead to a sluggish fermentation due to its clarification effect on the treated juice and the possibly stripping of certain growth factors, such as fatty acids, phospholipids, and sterols. An extended fermentation can lead to increased amounts of residual fructose in the wine. Since fructose is twice as sweet as glucose, this may affect the perception of the wine’s dryness.

Also learned that the type of bentonite you choose to use (sodium vs. calcium) could create problems:

For example, an addition of 1,920 mg/L (16 lbs/1,000 gal) calcium bentonite — equivalent to 960 mg/L (8 lbs/1,000 gal) sodium bentonite — to a batch of protein-rich Gewürztraminer would result in an additional potential for 114 mg/L calcium tartrate. Since calcium tartrate does not respond as readily to cold stabilization as potassium bitatrate, this may mean the difference between a stable wine and a wine throwing a glass-like precipitate that may worry a consumer).​

Sarah: Glad to read that the bentonite cleared your pineapple up for you. When you work with bentonite do you cold stabilize? Do you filter? What about heat stabilizing? To test for stability, a sample of wine is heated to 70-80°C (158-176°F) for 6 hours, then cooled to room temperature. This sample is then compared with a control sample. If the treated sample has formed a haze the wine is not stable and requires further fining.


For the member who talked about "pale strawberry" wine: depending upon the yeast you used, and possibly the bentonite use, could very well be the reason your wine did not retain the strawberry red color. The majority of strawberry wine actually ferments out to a "straw" color. I started asking wineries that carry strawberry wine if their wine is all natural as a result of the fermentation or did they add coloring? The majority indicated they add coloring coloring. Some opt to use "beet syrup", while other use red food dye.

 

[dangerdave]

Thanks for the additional info, saramc. I think what I have is calcium bentonite. In my comparison, both bacthes fermented at nearly the exact same rate. In eight days, they were both dry. It does not appear (at least for my study) that the bentonite effected the rate of fermentation at all.

June 19th: DAY 15
Both batches continue to clear...yea, this is the boring part!

So far, it looks like they're even. After a week of clearing, I usually rack off the sediment. I'm at work today, so I'll check the batches tomorrow, when I get home.

 

[dangerdave]

June 20th: DAY 16

Batch A (left: bentonite & sparkolloid) is slightly behind Batch B (right: sparkolloid only) in clearing. It's very close, though:

I decided to let them sit another few days. I'm at work again today, or I'd have compared the lees and backsweetened both. I really want to compare the sediments side by side. If bentonite does not show any improvenment in handling the sediments, I'd say---at this point---that I won't use it again. I need to taste them as well, so the judgement is still out.

 

[oldwhiskers]

So far, I'm impressed with the Sparkolloid. I degassed and added Sparkolloid to my fourth carboy this month and the other three are crystal clear. My LHBS does not carry the Sparkolloid so I was a little late getting some in after dallying some on it.

 

[soccer0ww]

Thanks for doing this "test". It has been very interesting to see the results, and all the added information from other forum members. I will have to try sparkalloid. I usually use Isinglass and have not always been happy with the results.

 

[dangerdave]

Welcome back all, for a brief update. I've been overwhelmed this past week, so the Dragon Blood has been sitting quietly, clearing. So far, I think the two are very close. Both are crystal clear. Tomorrow, I will be racking and sweetening. This will be the opportunity for me to examine the sediments, and compare them. I will be checking the density during racking to see if the bentonite holds the sparkolloid in place. I have not tasted them yet, so I will be checking for flavor differences as well (I do not anticipate any)...my favorate part.

I was hoping to get at them earlier (and keep up with JJ & cindy), but my lovely wife became ill (she's disabled), and my mother gave me a pool table (which I am attempting to install and recover with red felt), so---as wines do best---they just sat there. I'll be doing some catchup work in the Lab this weekend.

Thanks for being patient...

 

[southlake333]

I was hoping to get at them earlier (and keep up with JJ & cindy), but my lovely wife became ill (she's disabled), and my mother gave me a pool table (which I am attempting to install and recover with red felt), so---as wines do best---they just sat there. I'll be doing some catchup work in the Lab this weekend.

Thanks for being patient...

Very sorry to hear about your wife, I hope everything is well now.

Thanks again for all the information!

 

[dangerdave]

The weekend never came! A powerful derecho took out power all over southern Ohio, and left us without electrcity for three days. Luckily, we have a finished basement/wine cellar that stays cool (67F) 24/7.

Check General Chit-Chat for my tale of the DERECHO?

It turned out to be a good thing, I think, that the Dragon Bloods got to sit and settle out nicely, since one of my goals was to examine and compare the consistancy of the sediments. My hope was that the bentonite would help to "lock" the fluffy sparkolloid in a more solid state, making racking without disturbing the sediments easier and to reduce loss of wine.

July 3th, DAY 29:

Let's look at the cleared Dragon Blood. No difference at all with clarity. They both look great! The sediments look equal.

Following this picture, the batches were both racked and backsweetened (with my usual four cups of sugar). I observed the sediments during vacuum racking to see how easily they could be disturbed. Here are some pics of the sediments.
Batch A

Batch B

Although they don't show much, what you might notice is that Batch B (sparkolloid only) has more wine left in the carboy. The sediments in Batch A (bentonite + sparkolloid) were definately more solid, and clung to the bottom much more readily than the Batch B. I got more clear wine off of Batch A---nearly an entire 750ml bottle! The sediments in Batch B were easily disturbed, and even being very careful I managed to suck up a little of them during this racking.

I'm going to let them sit one more week to see if anything else falls out, then I'll taste and bottle. At that time, I will give my final conclusion on this study of bentonite and Sparkolloid.

 

[oldwhiskers]

Wow, they really look nice. Thanks for the comparison.

 

[dangerdave]

You are wlecome, John. Thanks for reading!

 

[Heckle]

Love experiments like this.