Days to clear? Will it keep clearing?

[Kaitala]

Using a pinot noir wine kit. Put in the sorbet to stop fermentation, and the chito/kiel to clear. It says in the directions to let it clear 8 days. It's been about 5.

A lot of stuff fell out in the first few days, but it doesnt seem like much else is falling out.

I plan on bulk aging (as long as I can stand to wait!) In a carboy anyway. Is there any reason to wait the full 8 days? I bottled up my cider today and kinda just want one mess to clean up, instead of another in 3 days during the work week. And I kind want to mess with it, kid with toys kinda thing.

If I get it off the existing stuff that has settled, will it not draw more yuck down to the bottom?

I also have about a 750 bottle of stuff I poured off the gross Lee's to settle. If I add that, will that mess up any progress made or will that offer more binding material to clarify further?

A little knowledge is a dangerous thing. I'm starting to think about this and could readily mess the whole thing up with wrong hypothesis. And if you google it, you'll get 82 different answers.

I'd rather get a bunch of different answers here where I can ask follow up questions.

TIA

 

[salcoco]

I normally rack after three days add clarifier then rack again in three weeks. I assume you added k-meta also. I would rack now and then in three weeks

 

[tradowsk]

Let it clear fully. It may take some extra time, perhaps even another week or more. But waiting a little longer now will save you from having a bunch of ugly sediment in your bottles. If you plan to bulk age anyway, then why not give it more time? You might want to give it a gentle stir as well. While this will kick up all the sediment on the bottom, they are in large enough particles that will settle out again rather quickly. But a gentle stir will get more contact between the clarifier and the remaining particles in the wine, and can allow you to get better clarity.

Did you add the chito and kiselsol at the same time? Usually, you add chito, wait 24hrs, then add kisel.

 

[Sailor323]

I rack from the primary when fermentation seems complete and add meta. I never use sorbate. At this time I add kieselsol first then chitosan anywhere from 15 minutes to 24 hours later, doesn't seem to matter. I believe you should add the kieselsol first. Then I rack again after 2 weeks and bottle 2 weeks or so after that unless I'm bulk aging

 

[Rocky]

Using a pinot noir wine kit. Put in the sorbet to stop fermentation, and the chito/kiel to clear. It says in the directions to let it clear 8 days. It's been about 5. My first piece of advice is to realize that the times quoted in the directions for kits are "typical" or "averages" and are not absolute. What are you planning to do next? Below, you say you plan to bulk age the wine so I am assuming that you are talking about racking off the gross lees but not bottling. In this case, if you are satisfied that the wine is clear, go ahead and rack to a bulk aging carboy. Since it is a red, you should try to bulk age at least 12 months. That is the least I bulk age reds and I add K-meta (1/4 teaspoon per 6 gallons) every 4 months or so. After bulk aging, I rack one more time, add K-meta (assuming it is on the 4 month cycle) and bottle.

A lot of stuff fell out in the first few days, but it doesnt seem like much else is falling out. The stuff is in there. You just can't see it.

I plan on bulk aging (as long as I can stand to wait!) (Try for at least 12 months) In a carboy anyway. Is there any reason to wait the full 8 days? I bottled up my cider today and kinda just want one mess to clean up, instead of another in 3 days during the work week. And I kind want to mess with it, kid with toys kinda thing. Sounds like you are a little impatient. That is not a good trait in wine making.

If I get it off the existing stuff that has settled, will it not draw more yuck down to the bottom? It is good practice to get it off the gross lees anyway, dead yeast cells and all.

I also have about a 750 bottle of stuff I poured off the gross Lee's to settle. If I add that, will that mess up any progress made or will that offer more binding material to clarify further? Count it as co-lateral damage and pitch it. If you are a fanatic about saving every drop, put on airlock on the bottle and place it in the refrigerator and see what happens. You may get a third to half a bottle. To me that is past the point of diminishing returns.

A little knowledge is a dangerous thing. I'm starting to think about this and could readily mess the whole thing up with wrong hypothesis. And if you google it, you'll get 82 different answers.

I'd rather get a bunch of different answers here where I can ask follow up questions.

TIA

I assume that you are rather new to the hobby. If this is incorrect, I apologize. See my responses above. You are doing well and you have to develop patience in this endeavor. We all started out that way so don't feel like The Lone Ranger. That is why a lot of us make skeeter pee, white wines and fruit wines all of which are drinkable earlier than reds.

Good luck!