RJ Spagnols Floaties on Amarone

[Jify]

Howdy Folks,

Just made my first batch of the RJ Spagnols Amarone with the 16L juice kit and the wine skins (basically raisins..).

Fermented it in my primary until it was done fermenting, as per directions, then mixed in the stabilizer (sorbate) and the sanitizer (k-meta). Transferred it through to my 6L glass Carboy, and put on my airlock (with k-meta solution). Then following the instructions I stirred it up, degassed, and whatnot. (not in that particular order)

That was about 6 days ago or so. Looking at the wine now, it's black as night (like it was before). But I've noticed some white stringy floaty things on top. Any chance that's just some solids that got siphoned over? Or is my wine dying/infected?

I don't have pictures at the moment, but I was hoping someone would have a few words of wisdom.

Cheers,


Jify

 

[Wade E]

Id like to see the pics of this but stringy is not a good thing. If you didnt say stringy Id say its most likley nothing but stringy is a sign of a typical wine infection but since you just sulfited I still find that hard to believe. Below is material copied from jackkeller.net which is a great place to learn a lot of stuff about wine although I dont agree with a lot of the recipes there as most seem to produce way too much abv and not enough flavor due to high amounts of sugar and little lbs of fruit per gallon but to each they have their own taste.

"Flowers of Wine: Small flecks or blooms of white powder or film may appear on the surface of the wine. If left unchecked, they grow to cover the entire surface and can grow quite thick. They are caused by spoilage yeasts and/or mycoderma bacteria, and if not caught at first appearance will certainly spoil the wine. If caused by yeast, they consume alcohol and give off carbon dioxide gas. They eventually turn the wine into colored water. The wine must be filtered at once to remove the flecks of bloom and then treated with one crushed Campden tablet per gallon of wine. The saved wine will have suffered some loss of alcohol and may need to be fortified with added alcohol (brandy works well) or consumed quickly. If caused by the mycoderma bacteria, treat the same as for a yeast infection. The Campden will probably check it, but the taste may have been ruined. Taste the wine and then decide if you want to keep it. Bacterial infections usually spoil the wine permanently, but early treatment may save it.

Prevent the introduction of spoilage yeasts and mycoderma the same way you prevent the introduction of vinegar yeasts -- by introducing early an aseptic level of sulfites.

Flowers of wine are, of course, expected when using flor sherry yeast. In such a circumstance, there is no way to know if the flowers are from the flor sherry yeast or a harmful infection. Pre-treating the must with Campden, however, should eliminate a harmful infection.

Oiliness or Ropiness: The wine develops an oily look with rope- like treads or strings appearing within it. It pours slowly and thickly with a consistency similar to egg whites, but neither its smell nor taste are effected. The culprit is a lactic acid bacterium and is only fatal to the wine if left untreated. Pour the wine into an open container with greater volume than required. Use an egg whip to beat the wine into a frothiness. Add two crushed Campden tablets per gallon of wine and stir these in with the egg whip. Cover with a sterile cloth and stir the wine every hour or so for about four hours. Return it to a sterile secondary and fit the airlock. After two days, run the wine through a wine filter and return it to another sterile secondary. Again, this problem, like most, can be prevented by pre- treating the must with Campden and sterilizing your equipment scrupulously."

 

[Jify]

Thanks Wade.

That was my take on it as well. I thought it would be bacteria, but I did sanitize everything, and I did JUST sulphite the whole thing.

I searched up a few other posts that point to some sort of Enzhyme. I'll see what I can do for pictures. In the mean time, thanks for your help!

 

[UBB]

did your wine foam when you racked and degassed? Could it be some foam dried in the neck of the carboy and that is what you are seeing?