Clouds over(In)Niagara

[Fly*guy]

Here we go.....

My son tried to make his first batch of Niagara wine a few weeks ago.

He added a bit much on some of the ingredients....

I think the largest error may have been that he tried to follow my 3 gallon recipe by doubling everything.... heres what was added:

Niagara juice to make 6 gal
6 tsp yeast nutrient
3 tsp yeast energizer
5 tsp pectic enzymes
3 tsp acid blend
2 cups white raisins
sachet Pasteur red yeast

Approx. abv = 9% (started at SG 1.064)
Must Temp at 78*
Finished at SG .994


the juice was already clear, and I think there was to much pectic enzyme in the batch. it fermented very violently and quickly with the energizer and nutrient, seemed to have a lot of a protein foam even after it was dry.

it has been racked off the lees and it is in the clearing process at this time or at least we are trying to clear it.
at this point I have added 3/4 tsp K-met and 1.5 tsp K-sorbate
and degassed
then added 1 oz of Kieselsol stirred well let stand for 30 minutes and added 1 oz of Chitosan. that's it!

it does not appear to be clearing much any more. Temp is holding at 74* F
and the wine is considerably darker in color then my Niagara's ever were.
So here's the question, will time fix this issue or must something else be done to clarify the wine?

Wine tastes Ok for a dry Niagara that is only a month old, so I don't believe there is anything wrong with it flavor wise, just curiuos about clearing and how to proceed from here.

Started clearing on 6/20/10, not that long ago but these clearing agents usually do a good job, quickly.

 

[xanxer82]

That's a lot of KMeta for 6 gallons. 1/4tsp would have been sufficient. All you can really do is throw a blanket over the carboy, keep the airlock topped up and wait it out.

 

[grapeman]

It should clear eventually if left alone. That is a bit much k-meta, but should be alright.


Time helps a lot of problems.

 

[fivebk]

How about making sure it is degassed properly

BOB

 

[Fly*guy]

Well Appleman, I was pretty sure it would be sitting for awhile so I wanted to be sure it was OK, AND, with the way it looked before I stabilized I wasn't sure that something else was going on in there Sooo.... I increased the Kmet by double and figured on having it bulk age for a good while.

Bob... as far as degassing I'm satisfied it is gas free.
My procedure for this uses a vacuum pump that I left on for a good 45 minutes and then after each addition of stabilizers and clarifiers I degassed again for a bit till I had almost no bubbles coming out of the wine and on that day I was pulling 22.5" on the meter.

My only concern is will it clear.... the taste, even with a lot of Kmet, is remarkable good for a very young wine.

I may be buying a commercial grade filter soon and this just might be my 1st run through it

 

[Wade E]

It should clear on its own over time. Instead of doubling your k-meta you actually tripled it but it will be fine if not bottled for some time like at least 6-9 months so there is plenty of time for it to clear on its own.

 

[Fly*guy]

"then added 1 oz of Kieselsol stirred well let stand for 30 minutes and
added 1 oz of Chitosan. that's it!"

Was this the proper doseage of these clarifiers?

I believe I should have used 1/2 oz of Kieselsol and 1 oz Chitosan per 6 gal wine.... can anyone "clarify" that for me ( I know... bad pun

)


and has anyone used gelatin to clear wine? how much color and/or flavor will it take from a wine and my package is not clear on this but I assume if I use it that it is desolved in water (warm) and then added to the wine??

 

[Wade E]

Well with the packets of SuperKleer they are almost of equal size and the total is 2.26 ozs. I have never used the Gelatin.