Bentonite

[Sammyk]

So, would it be a good idea to add it to all non-kit wines?

 

[JordanPond]

definitely pushed a mass of co2 out after adding it for me today. i even degassed with a vacuum setup and the wine held a strong 20 on my vacuum guage before adding bentonite. then after adding the bentonite i barely stirred it and poof, co2 came rushing out. so i set up the vacuum setup again and then was vacuuming for a good 10 min just pulling more and more out... idk if the bentonite forced it out or if the bentonite does something to the wine to make it bubble more. i did do the same exact procedure to 4 other wines right after and none of the other 4 had that extra co2 after bentonite was added. maybe it was the type of wine that reacted with the bentonite or maybe i degassed the others better... im just not sure. lol

The clay particles probably act as nucleation points for the C02 bubbles to form on making it easier to degass.

 

[Bartman]

So, would it be a good idea to add it to all non-kit wines?

It depends. Are you talking about grape wines or other fruit? If you're talking about grape wines (I have no expertise with others), I would say it depends on your preferences. There is an age-old debate between those who want to keep their wine as pure as possible and let nature (and time and gravity) do most of the work of clarifying (such as me), and those who compare and contrast the different additives, clarifying agents, equipment and techniques to get the wine to clarify as quickly and effectively as possible, without compromising the quality of the wine.

If you need or want to finish and bottle a kit wine quickly (~4 week kits), then bentonite is almost essential. I have been advised by FVW to *not* add bentonite to non-kit wines (grapes and frozen juice) unless and until gravity and time have failed to clear it (typically, a protein haze that can take a lonnnng time to settle out), but bentonite has been used for centuries.

My question is, who ever thought to add clay to grape juice, and figured it would make the wine better??? (Alright, I've got my grapes, juice, yeast....what am I missing? Oh yeah, some dirt!)

 

[Geronimo]

I stopped using bentonite after I had a little bit transfer into the bottling bucket during racking once. Since then I have had 2 batches that could have been clearer, but both are very dark and very dense reds.

I'd say it's totally a personal preference and if you're after the taste over all else, then bentonite isn't a factor. The small amount of sediment that can form in the bottle is far more natural than adding clay IMO. FWIW I don't use any clarifiers any more. I find that 6-8 weeks in secondary does an acceptable job of clarifying. I probably wouldn't win a contest with it, but the people that have tried my kit wines are lining up to come back for more!