How long before bottling?

[Old Philosopher]

I'm probably being impatient, but I'm curious how long a person should let finished plum wine sit to clear before bottling? I'm looking at about 10 gallons of wine that has been stabilized, back sweetened and is now sitting in 1 gallon jugs, plus one 5 gal carboy.
A month? 6 months? A year? I was hoping to bottle some for Christmas gifts this year.

 

[jamesngalveston]

if its stabalized, and backsweeten....if its not clear...you have two choices..
let time have it...which may take forever with plum.
are....buy a finning agent, called super-kleer.
super kleer does not impart off taste and will not strip the color out.
you hit it with super kleer you can bottle in a week, maybe 10 days.

 

[cimbaliw]

I've not done plum but you might also try pectic enzyme to hasten clearing. I think the label suggests 1/2t gallon. Fining agents could be a hassle if you're broken into 10-1gal lots. You may want to transfer half of your 10gal to a 5 or 6 gal carboy before using super clear or sparkaloid.

 

[Old Philosopher]

Thanks, guys.
A couple other points with this batch.
It's a beautifully clear burgundy color, but it still seems to be precipitating. Hahaha! That's probably because it's only 24-28 days since stabilization. I have it in a 40 deg root cellar, and the rate of clearing has been amazing.
I'll probably give it another week, and then just go for it. Any I give away will be with instructions for decanting it.

 

[mmadmikes1]

plumb is slow to completely clear. I have just learned to live with the settling on the bottoms. If you can wait longer, do it. I rub off all the natural white wax on fruit now and it does speed it up( for future). I have waited 6 months and still had some settling.

 

[Old Philosopher]

plumb is slow to completely clear. I have just learned to live with the settling on the bottoms. If you can wait longer, do it. I rub off all the natural white wax on fruit now and it does speed it up( for future). I have waited 6 months and still had some settling.

Maybe that's why mine is so clear after only 4 weeks. All my plums (Italian) are washed before crushing. Then I extract the juice and go from there. This batch fermented dry in 14 days, and there was 1/2" of 'sludge' in the bottom of the primary.
It will be the 3rd racking when it goes in the bottles, so hopefully there won't be much more to precipitate out.
Thanks again for all the input, folks!

 

[Tess]

I bottle mine once I know its clear.

 

[Old Philosopher]

I bottle mine once I know its clear.

Yeah, that's what I'm thinking, too.

 

[Tess]

I mean whats the point of waiting? I dont have the carboys to let go for months of bulk aging and facts are your wine ages faster in the bottle. Ifs it clear and degassed properly it OK to bottle if that is your choice!!

 

[Old Philosopher]

I mean whats the point of waiting? I dont have the carboys to let go for months of bulk aging and facts are your wine ages faster in the bottle. Ifs it clear and degassed properly it OK to bottle if that is your choice!!

Didn't know that! Thanks!

 

[Tess]

Im serious. Iv done everything i can possibility do to my wine in the first two weeks. Sometimes I just think people make so much at one time they dont want to buy the bottles buttttt..... Im still new so dont go by what I say as the word, as gospel !!!! lol

 

[Old Philosopher]

Im serious. Iv done everything i can possibility do to my wine in the first two weeks. Sometimes I just think people make so much at one time they dont want to buy the bottles buttttt..... Im still new so dont go by what I say as the word, as gospel !!!! lol

Well, after 3 years, building on what I learned from the fine folks here, I'm pretty comfortable with my routine. We had a bumper crop this year, so I'm dealing with 14 gallons of plum wine, and 20 gallons of apple wine.
I have a friend who is a refuse collector, and he just brought me ANOTHER 3 dozen 750ml wine bottles. It's a good thing, too, because I'm still about 40 bottles shy of being able to cork everything I have this year!

 

[Tess]

Good for you!! I truly believe its all about what you have available!! Im not buying this bulk aging thing at all.. Im sorry, At least not as far as the best wine making practice!! Just me!!

 

[mmadmikes1]

I wait because clear is not always completely clear and wait doesn't hurt. I use to filter but not anymore

 

[Tess]

no it dont but after a while you know! you just do!!It ether clear or its not

 

[Old Philosopher]

Good for you!! I truly believe its all about what you have available!! Im not buying this bulk aging thing at all.. Im sorry, At least not as far as the best wine making practice!! Just me!!

Aging, smaging...I just may be facing bulk storage at this point.

 

[GreginND]

My plum's going on a year now and it just won't clear. I think I'll try to filter it and just live with it cloudy. I think it must be the darned wax.

 

[Old Philosopher]

My plum's going on a year now and it just won't clear. I think I'll try to filter it and just live with it cloudy. I think it must be the darned wax.

Did you use heat in any of the process? Sounds like my very first batch. Pectin haze that just never went away. Filter won't work, even through a coffee filter.

 

[GreginND]

No heat. I used pectinase in the beginning and tried more later. I am pretty sure it's a wax residue from he skins.

 

[Arne]

Think I may have the same problem, Greg. It has been sitting and waiting for a loooong time. Have to check for sure, but know it is over a year. One of these days going to try and superkleer it. Used Pectic pre and post ferment, bentonite, sparkaloid, all on 1 gal. I had seperate. It is no clearer than the other 5 gal. we will see what superkleer does. Arne.