Cloudy Pinot Grigio

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RegionRat

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I racked a Pinot Grigio yesterday that was made from a juice bucket I bought in the fall. This was the second tracking while ageing and it still seems to be a little cloudy. This is my first attempt at a white wine. Should I be concerned or will it clear on itself. The pH and S 02 levels are fine .

RR
 
If you have a whole house filter (not any type of gravity filter) you could filter with a 1 micron filter. That should fix it up.
 
If you have a whole house filter (not any type of gravity filter) you could filter with a 1 micron filter. That should fix it up.

I guess what I am trying to ask is, if it not being totally clear now should concern me. I dont plan on bottling it for at least 6 more months.

I do have whole house filter. If you think I need to filter it now I will. If you think it will clear on its own I would rather just let it go.

RR
 
Clearing wine

THIS IS WHAT I WOULD DO,DO NOT FILTER YOUR WINE THROUGH A PUMPING SYSTEM YET ITS VERY YOUNG AND YOU COULD STRIP AWAY THE TASTE AS YOU FILTER ESPECIALLY WHITES,YOU STILL HAVE A LOT OF TIME TO LET IT SIT,IF YOUR IN HURRY THEN USE SUPERKLEER WITH IN 24 TO 36 HRS. IT SHOULD CLEAR NICELY AND SETTLE TO THE BOTTOM ,IF THERE STILL IS A HAZE THEN THAT COULD BE WHAT IS KNOWN AS PECTIN HAZE ALSO SOMETHING NOT TO BE OVERALLY CONCERN ABOUT YET ,THE WINE IS YOUNG YOU HAVE TIME,USE IT WISELY.:pic

TEMPERATURE CAN ADD TO YOUR DECREASE VISIBILITY.WERE IS THE SITTING AT, WHAT TEMP?
 
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I agree to let it sit. As Joe asked what temp is it? Most folks will tell you to cold stabilize it to help clear it up and in some cases they are right. On the other hand I know a person that couldn't get his peach to clear for anything. Had it in the cold, used super kleere and gave it time. It wasn't until he brought it into a warm room that it cleared right up.
 
Thanks... The wine is sitting in my basement. It is in an unheated part of my house. Even though it is unheated I would guess the temp never reaches below 50f. I can guarantee as cold as it has been outside in the last months it has not been above 60f.

The sediment at last racking was hard like rock candy. I had to break it up to get out of carboy and get it down the drain in my sink.

I have a bucket of Moscato I started at the same time as the PG. It is clear as a whistle.

I dont want to take the chance of stripping any flavor by forcing it to clear if I dont have to. I guess that is what I am thinking. I was kinda thinking it was a pectic haze but was not sure. If I add a little enzyme can it hurt? Would that maybe help it clear?

Oh, it tastes very good by the way.

RR
 
Bring it upstairs where it's above 65° for a few weeks and see what happens. Not saying it'll work but it doesn't cost anything and rules it out.
 
What temp do you think would be best? I can put the carboy in a water bath and control the temp with an aquarium heater if you think.

RR
 
since its already cold stable leave it alone in the cool spot where you had it as you said you have time.

check you so2 level add some and wait 2 months .

If it's still cloudy , consider bentonite fining , you can do bench tests to see if this option is right , this will deal with any protein instability .
Rack after settling the bentonite for a week or two .

if its not clear when you want to bottle , you can always fine it with the same type of products you use on a kit a couple weeks before bottling or filter it .

Filtering does not strip flavour . 90 percent of all commercial wines are filtered.
 
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The problem with waiting here is its already been 6 months. This is a Pinot Grigio, it should be ready to drink about now. Waiting another 6 months to clear IMHO is kinda overkill as the wine will then be almost a year old. Time to do something soon and get it in the bottle!
 
time in a carboy



this is fresh juice I have never none this to achieve any type of maturity in 6 mos. usually one year is a standard ,by that time you would have at least have it ready for bottling ,but 6 mos.???
 
Commercial wineries push fresh juice (whites) out all the time in 6-9 months. This is why white wines are termed "cash cows" in the business for a new winery. I am seeing the first of…… 2013 Sauvignon Blancs available for sale from some wineries.
 
I would like to know how filtering a wine can cause flavor loss? Unless you use a carbon filter you can not unless u have some super filter that is .00005 microns. Hope I'm missing something here.
I filter all my whites....
 
It can't. I filter all my whites as well. 1 micron. Fining can as you are removing things and multiple finings can make it worse so you only want to fine once if you have to.
 
It can't. I filter all my whites as well. 1 micron. Fining can as you are removing things and multiple finings can make it worse so you only want to fine once if you have to.


As this is my first white wine from; juice, grapes, or kit I am still learning.

I have moved the carboy to a warmer part of my house. I am going to let it sit for a few weeks and see what happens. If it doesn't clear I will ask a few more questions.


From following this board I do understand that whites do come to their own faster then fruit and red wines. I was going to age it one year then bottle. Now you have me thinking of bottling sooner.

My questions are;

1) What would be the benefit of bottling now vs letting it bulk age for a year?

2) If it is pectic haze, do you think I should add a little pectic enzyme?


RR
 
One thing is for certain. You can't bottle until the wine is perfectly clear.

Keeping it warm is good. If it doesn't do the trick (in a few weeks to a month) I would fine it with SuperKleer or Sparkeloid (while keeping it warm 68-72 degrees). Needless to say the wine should be degassed. It should have degassed on its own by now but……. stranger things have happened. Can't hurt if you have a way to do it and remember a wine degasses faster and clears faster when its warmer and not colder.
 
many white wines contain proteins that cause haze issue that are not sediment related.

this is why many commercial producers fine with bentonite before cold stabilising.

if its sediment related filtering would help.

a two part fining agent like that used it kits will fix this haze whether it is protein or sediment related , add one part one day stir gently and the next day add the other part sir gently and wait for a couple weeks . it should be ready to bottle.
 
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Okay, Here is where i am.

I moved the carboy to a temp controlled water-bath. It is siting nicely at 70f.

After reading for the last few days I am convinced it is suffering from pectin haze. Yet there is no way to be absolutely certain. Would the addition of pectic enzyme help? If it is not pectic haze and I add enzyme would there be any damage done to the wine....

I am comfortable letting it sit there indefinitely if need be. But I would like to address this as soon as possible.

warm.jpg

Thanks

RR
 

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