clearing

[larry]

hello and a good day to all of you. The other day I went into the local brew shop looking around I saw some clearing agents I asked the girl whats the best one,She came over handed me a bottle of pectic enzyme and said this works well for clearing.. Is this so?? Thank you

 

[cmason1957]

It works great, if you have a pectic haze. If you don't have a pectic haze, it probably does nothing. Using it before fermentation is a much better idea.

 

[larry]

Thank you cmason I will know more when I rack they are still in primary a cran/raspberry and one a white cran.

 

[Scooter68]

Best thing you can do for yourself and your wine is to take an evening or two and do some reading. I've just done a short search looking for a good general article about fining agents and found several BUT you need to know that all will have some pros and cons. In some cases you may just find that the 'con' is the time for it to work or the trouble of preparing it. In any case I did not yet find a good overall article. Keep in mind that in wine making, not everyone will have the same experiences even with the same products on the same wine even. Temperatures and timing alone can make a big difference in the performance of a clearing agent - so read and follow directions carefully. I find it best to read a lot, take a day or two to digest what I've read, do a re-read to make sure of my decision and then press forward.
The most troublesome negatives about some fining/clearing agents is color stripping and in some cases flavor reduction. So take your time and don't rush into using anything yet. Remember that the best clearing agent is time, lots of time, but in some cases even time can use a little help.

UPDATE: Did find a couple of articles but I would still look at as many as you can absorb and read between the lines. Some folks are pre-disposed against fining agents or have their own pet products that they like or maybe that they sell. Personally I've not had any problem with Bentonite but it hasn't been a cure-all either especially if pectic haze is involved. So read and relax and take your time.

http://www.bcawa.ca/winemaking/fining.htm

https://www.winemakersdepot.com/Tutorial-on-Wine-Making-Lesson-5-of-6-W96.aspx

 

[Donatelo]

Solid advice , that.