Sparkalloid after 17 days

[GrandpasFootsteps]

I used sparkalloid on my carrot wine. I racked it Jan 31, and from then to 3/3 it didn't clear anymore. I added the Sparkalloid 3/3. It cleared up pretty well within 2 days. Now, 17 days later, there isn't any difference. It isn't clear enough. The sediment is not condensed. There are still some floaties in the wine. I'm figuring it will eventually clear and I don't mind waiting months until it does. But if I'm going to wait for months I think I should sulfite. I don't want to stir up the sediment. So my question is: Should I rack it now, leave the sediment behind, sulfite, and wait for it to clear? Or should I wait longer before racking? I'm a bit concerned also because I picked up the 1g jug to hold it against the light to see the clearing progress and it stirred up some of the sediment.

 

[Wade E]

Ive never used this so I cant help much but whats the temp? I know with SuoerKleer it says that 65* is good but over the years have noticed many times with my wine and many posters on the forums that had problems that if you bring the temp up to 75* the wine usually clears within 2 days of doing so.

 

[Minnesotamaker]

Is this a carrot wine recipe that you've made before that didn't have this problem? If it's a new recipe, you could be looking at a haze issue which doesn't respond well to fining treatments.

Jack Keller has some good information on hazes. Jack Keller - problems in wine
You'll find the haze section just a little bit down the page.

 

[djrockinsteve]

My wines I will give 4 -6 weeks to clear with sparkolloid, however I usually see immediate results with the majority of the sediment. As long as you have sulfited it correctly you may allow it to clear longer. It will continueto drop sediment but it may be slow that you will not see any change quick.

You could rack it off of the sediment but will still have to let it continue to clear. I will move (carefully) my carboys several hours before I plan on racking to avoid disturbing the sediment. You could also use a pump in which case you would not have to move at all.

 

[GrandpasFootsteps]

Ive never used this so I cant help much but whats the temp? I know with SuoerKleer it says that 65* is good but over the years have noticed many times with my wine and many posters on the forums that had problems that if you bring the temp up to 75* the wine usually clears within 2 days of doing so.

Thanks for the feedback. My wine room is about 72-74 most of the time.

 

[GrandpasFootsteps]

Is this a carrot wine recipe that you've made before that didn't have this problem? If it's a new recipe, you could be looking at a haze issue which doesn't respond well to fining treatments.

Jack Keller has some good information on hazes. Jack Keller - problems in wine
You'll find the haze section just a little bit down the page.

That is a great page for reference! This is my first batch of carrot, if you recall I am using the organic carrot juice from costco (I took a picture and posted it here).

Based on the info in the link, I did some research. Carrots contain almost no starch, but they are high in pectin. It is probably a pectic haze.

 

[GrandpasFootsteps]

My wines I will give 4 -6 weeks to clear with sparkolloid, however I usually see immediate results with the majority of the sediment. As long as you have sulfited it correctly you may allow it to clear longer. It will continueto drop sediment but it may be slow that you will not see any change quick.

You could rack it off of the sediment but will still have to let it continue to clear. I will move (carefully) my carboys several hours before I plan on racking to avoid disturbing the sediment. You could also use a pump in which case you would not have to move at all.

I saw the same: immediate results with the majority of the sediment, perhaps 99.9 percent. I haven't sulfited it at all and that's the main reason I'm concerned right now. This has been in the carboy since Jan 31, and I put sparkalloid in Mar 3. The rest of the time has been under airlock. I realize I am "probably" okay for a little while concerning sulfite but I don't want to invite trouble by putting it off too much longer.

I am going to rack it off the sediment, sulfite & sorbate, and let is sit for another month to see if it clears the rest of the way on its own. If it doesn't show any progress at all, I will try the pectic enzyme. Note that in my original recipe, I added 1 tsp of pectic enzyme. May not have been enough since I just read that carrots have much more pectin than other produce.

I'm torn about sweetening this. It's only 1 gallon and my original intent was to make a high quality cooking wine. It's only one gallon, but I suppose I could sweeten 1-2 bottles.

It looks so beautiful orange right now, and almost clear. I want to bottle this in clear bottles so the color shows through clearly.

 

[agdodge4x4]

When I used sparkolloid the first time, I didnt boil it near long enough. I did not sulfite my wine any more than two tablets at teh time of stabilization and addition of sparkolloid. It took close to two months to clear it. I wouldnt worry about adding any more sulfite even if it sat for longer than that before bottling.

When I boil it for more than 5 minutes, my wine is clear in two weeks....crystal clear in 3 or 4, but the sediments are very very fluffy.

 

[djrockinsteve]

sparkolloid needs 20 minutes simmered.

 

[GrandpasFootsteps]

When I used sparkolloid the first time, I didnt boil it near long enough. I did not sulfite my wine any more than two tablets at teh time of stabilization and addition of sparkolloid. It took close to two months to clear it. I wouldnt worry about adding any more sulfite even if it sat for longer than that before bottling.

When I boil it for more than 5 minutes, my wine is clear in two weeks....crystal clear in 3 or 4, but the sediments are very very fluffy.

I boiled it for about 20 minutes because I read as much here as I could before doing it. It cleared most of the way and the sediments are fluffy as you say. I haven't added any sulfite at all to this batch.

 

[Love_in_Texas]

Will you post pics when it clears?

 

[djrockinsteve]

I haven't added any sulfite at all to this batch.

Not adding any sulfite can be risky. Keep a close nose to it.

 

[GrandpasFootsteps]

I think I figured out the clearing problem. Lets go back to the basics...

Degassing​

After my first post on this subject, I noticed bubbles after I held up the 1 gallon carrot wine carboy to the light. So I gave it a good shake. Next day, much more clear. Today I racked it off the sediment and it is much more clear but not perfect yet. Before adding the sorbate & sulfite I tasted it. Really good, but not much carrot flavor yet. Then I stirred the &*$# out of it and brought out a ton of bubbles. I seem to recall that degassing is important to clearing. I hope this solves the problem! I'm going to leave it in the carboy for a while and forget about it, then bottle it later. I'm hoping 6-12 months will bring out some hints of carrot.

 

[Minnesotamaker]

You are right, gas can play a role in keeping wine from clearing. Just a reminder that if you're planning on aging in the carboy, make sure it is sulfited and topped up. In most cases, you don't want to do long term aging on any significant amount of sediment; so if you have sediment at the bottom, I'd rack it before aging.

 

[Wade E]

Oh yes, trapped C02 is the main problem for a wine not clearing. Once your wine is finished fermenting the first thing you should do is sulfite it and then degas it well at around 75*. The sulfiting will protect your wine as degassing can introduce 02 into your wine and after fermentation your wine is at its most vulnerable point as most if not all sulfites are driven off during this vigorous process of fermenting. The more viscous a wine is the harder and more important it is to get it out as thicker fluids can really be a bear to get C02 out! If you dont have a drill mounted stirrer then either get one or a vacuum pump like the ones I sell or even a new hand pump brake bleeder (Mity Vac) They are cheaper but work well but get one with a Gauge.

 

[GrandpasFootsteps]

Here it is. Not 100% clear yet. But all the larger floaties are out after racking it. I haven't tested it in a wine glass yet. I've noticed that these 1g jugs aren't perfectly clear either, so that may be contributing to any appearance of cloudiness. I'm disappointed that the racking off the lees stripped nearly all the orange color.

I superimposed those carrots lest anyone forget this is carrot wine.

 

[GrandpasFootsteps]

This is an update on the clearing progress. In the last photo I submitted, the carrot wine looked pretty clear but in reality there was a fine haze throughout the wine. Today I hold it up and the haze has settled to within 1 inch of the bottom of the carboy. It hasn't compacted but the wine is extremely clear. I will leave it for a while to allow it to compact further.

I already used the overflow portion I had in a 750ml. During the last racking I used a lot of it to top up, then I saved about 1 cup in the fridge. I used about half that in a slow-cooker chicken roast. Absolutely delicious. And last night I needed a dry wine for scampi and I used some more. It has little or no carrot flavor right now and just tastes like a dry white. The acidity is perfect on the tongue. I hope a year in the bottles will bring out some carrot characteristics.

I made this from Costco 100% carrot juice. My impression from drinking that carrot juice was a sour flavor and a moderate taste of dirt. The wine is nothing like that.

 

[djrockinsteve]

Sparkolloid does not compact and get hard unless you have tartaric acid fall out and mix with it. When you go to siphon off either move carefully or the day before as some will get disturbed.

Siphon off as much as you can then take most of the remaining into another container (1/2 gal. or a magnum) and stick it in the refrigerator and after a day or two you will be able to get some more wine out of what was mixed with the sparkolloid.

Save that and discard the rest.

 

[GrandpasFootsteps]

Sparkolloid does not compact and get hard unless you have tartaric acid fall out and mix with it. When you go to siphon off either move carefully or the day before as some will get disturbed.

Siphon off as much as you can then take most of the remaining into another container (1/2 gal. or a magnum) and stick it in the refrigerator and after a day or two you will be able to get some more wine out of what was mixed with the sparkolloid.

Save that and discard the rest.

Since this is just a 1 gallon carboy, can I stick the whole thing in the fridge the day before I bottle? Or will that mess with the wine?

 

[djrockinsteve]

You can but what I was referring to was just the sparkolloid part of your wine. When you transfer the sediment to another and smaller container and keep it cool due to headspace, you will be able to get a few more ounces of wine out of the mix.

You could use it to top off or sample. There is good wine mixed among the sparkolloid so if you can get a few extra ounces good for you. If you don't want to go to the bother thats okay.