I have film and I'm not at the movies

[ann]

I started with juice this year not grapes as before. It is now in its secondary fermentation stage stored in an oak barrel. Upon tasting the wine I noticed a film floating on the wine with what appears to be little white clumps. Has anybody had a similar experience?

 

[closetwine]

Nope, but I like the title. Some of the ppl have had this problem. Search for the answer while you wait for some of them to come along.

 

[Wade E]

Sorry to have to ask questions instead of answer but we need to ask these to diagnose it better. How was this barrel stored and is it topped up good? What did you use to sanitize your primary, B or C Brite? Some of these oxi based cleaners can build up over time and cause this. If you think its flowers of wine then you will need to hit it with sulfite good which hopefully you are not trying to do mlf at this point. Any other info you can think of to add please do. Below is a link to rewad about.
http://www.bacchus-barleycorn.com/catalog/article_info.php?articles_id=25

 

[JasonH]

Did you use sulfites?

 

[JohnT]

If you think its flowers of wine then you will need to hit it with sulfite good which hopefully you are not trying to do mlf at this point.

Wade,

What do you mean by "Flowers of Wine"?

 

[winemaker_3352]

Wade,

What do you mean by "Flowers of Wine"?

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.

 

[JohnT]

Thanks for the info.

Thank goodnes that I have never come across this (Knock on wood).

 

[winemaker_3352]

Thanks for the info.

Thank goodnes that I have never come across this (Knock on wood).

Yeah - no kidding - but i probably just jinxed myself!!