Is it clear yet

[tucson]

New guy here, I have 5 gallons of white merlow and there are different ways on the Internet to determine when wine is clear enough to bottle.

Suggestions!

 

[Duster]

add a clearing agent like sparkoloid and rack after 30 days, let it set for about 2 to 3 months the rack again, let it set for another 2 to three months then look for visible sediment on the bottom of the carboy. If there is any then rack again and check for sediment after another couple of months.
If you bottle early you will get sediment in the bottle. This will not hurt you but don't look good at all when friends are over and see what looks like backwash in your bottle when they look at it.

 

[JohnT]

I agree with duster, however I would also recomend cold stabilization.

Chill the wine down for about a week or two. By cooling the wine, you will reduce its solubility, thus producing even more sediment. Rack the wine while it is still cold and then allow it to come back up to normal temp. You can then follow this up with sparkaliod.

 

[cpfan]

New guy here, I have 5 gallons of white merlow and there are different ways on the Internet to determine when wine is clear enough to bottle.

Suggestions!

So what is the source of this wine? Kit? Juice? Grapes? Have you done anything that might help it to clear yet?

Steve

 

[southlake333]

New guy here, I have 5 gallons of white merlow and there are different ways on the Internet to determine when wine is clear enough to bottle.

Suggestions!

There are many answers to this. First, you must understand the reason for clearing. There are many things suspended in your wine during fermentation that must fall out. In time, they will all fall out on their own but there lots of ways to speed it up (see posts above). Once your wine looks clear (you can see through it, read letters on paper through it, etc) it is considered "clear" and will make a nice presentation. However, as others have stated above, there may be additional sediment that could fall out over time. That's why some people suggest bulk aging in a carboy for an extended period of time.

The only real difference between being visibly clear and 100% totally free from anything suspended is...whether or not you end up with stuff at the bottom of your bottles. If you don't care, then bottle when it looks clear. If you do care, let it sit in a carboy until no more sediment drops.

 

[tucson]

It's a white merlow kit. I have put all the chemicals including the clearing agent and mixed well, next step was to rack which I did. It looks clear to me and my wife but somewhere I read that using a flashlight in a dark room showed clearness. Put the clearing chemical and racked 2 weeks ago. The kit just says when clear to bottle.

 

[southlake333]

In that case its up to you. Worst case scenario you bottle a bit too early and end up with sediment in the bottles. If that's unacceptable to you then leave it in the carboy for another month or two.

 

[cpfan]

It's a white merlow kit.

Which kit? BTW, it's best to always tell us EXACTLY what kit you are making. It helps to get meaningful answers.

Most wine kits are 6 US gallons or 5 Imperial gallons. Did you make this kit to 5 US gallons? That might be why you are having trouble clearing.

Steve

 

[saramc]

Trying to determine clarity in a carboy is misleading....the glass will be your judge. If there is no longer any sediment dropping in your carboy a good 2 weeks after your last racking, and if the wine appears to be the same clarity from top of carboy to the bottom (meaning you see no layers of demarkation), then simply decant some wine a wine glass and judge for clarity. Can you read a newspaper thru the wine---clearly see the print? If you shine a light from one side to the other is it clear or do you see floaters?
For example, I have a red that has not dropped sediment for a month at least and when I look at the wine in the carboy I am convinced it is not clear; but when I decant some to a glass it is crystal clear---reds are very hard for me to judge just by carboy alone. So carboys can be quite misleading.
If you happen to have a digital camera it sometimes help to take photos, so you can monitor for changes, etc. Plus, you can revisit the photos so you can get more familiar with the stages your wines are going thru. Photo proof really does help out.

If you bottle a wine that is not yet clear, your WORST CASE SCENARIO is you have bottles of cloudy wine since there is NO GUARANTEE once you bottle that the wine will in fact clear up--and if it does it will have a nice layer of sediment. Bottom line: don't risk it, you have too much invested. Wine will clear naturally on its own, but you have indicated you have a kit and you have added the clearing agents. Does your kit instruct you to filter your wine?