Rhubarb wine won't clear

Winemaking Talk - Winemaking Forum

Help Support Winemaking Talk - Winemaking Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

John Miller

Too many hobbies
Joined
Jun 25, 2018
Messages
17
Reaction score
8
Location
Nebraska Sandhills
Have a rhubarb wine that won't clear. The recipe did not include pectic enzyme, so I added some after about 3 months. That hasn't worked after about a month. Now I'm thinking more peptic enzyme or sparkolloid. Any suggestions?
 
Did you use Bentonite yet? That's been pretty effective for some folks. It doesn't replace Pectic Enzyme but it can help. Sparkaloid is not a 'favored' fining agent in some folks views. I have Sparkaloid but have never used it because of the negatives I've heard.

Bentonite is a pain to mix UNLESS you are patient. Add to water slowly and then mix as best you can. THEN leave over night in warm area. SHAKE WELL the next day and then stir in as you rack the wine into a new carboy. Normally all bentonite will drop out within 5-7 days and you can see it if helped at all.
 
As Scooter said, bentonite is a great clearing agent, and a little hard to get into suspension. When I use it, adding it slowly, while stirring, to a cup of boiling hot water has always done the trick for me. Bentonite is only one half of my protocol in a wine that won't clear, the other half is chitosan, it's a thick liquid and mixes in pretty easily. Together, they effectively remove charged particles as well as protein haze from your wine.

If you have a pectin haze problem, pectic enzyme is the answer to that problem. Before trying the bentonite or bentonite / chitosan combo, consider trying another dose or two of pectic enzyme, it's easy to apply, you can't really use too much, and it'll work very quickly once the dosage is sufficient. Additionally, it sounds like you already have some on hand.
 
Thankyou for your thoughts. Looks like I need to get some bentonite. I've used it in some wine kits, and your right,
it's a pain to work with. I'll try more peptic enzyme first though.
 
How warm is it where the wine is sitting? Is it totally degassed? If it is cold, try warming it up to the mid 70's or so. Arne.
 
The temp is running between 67 & 68 degrees. It's been degassed the best I can. Working on a better system to degas. No problem with any of my other various wines clearing with same conditions. I did stick it in a fridge for a couple weeks, but have not tried putting it in a warmer spot. Thanks for the idea, I'll try it.
 
I had the same issue with my rhubarb Riesling....I used super kleer.....awesome result.
 
When I have a wine that won't clear, like Cheryl I use superkleer. It has always worked.
 
Rhubarb can be tricky. They don't really contain pectin, so pectinase is not the answer. Bentonite and Sparkaloid often don't remove the stubborn haze that rhubarb can sometimes have. I have had best luck using gelatin fining on rhubarb wines.
 

Latest posts

Back
Top