Cellar Craft To Clear or not to Clear?

[ez2cy]

I have been making Cellar Craft wine from their top line for some time now and pleased with it.

Question I have is, I bulk age in carboys for 6-12 months. Doing so, is there a need to do the clearing process or let it do it on it's own? I could rack every once in awhile to get rid of the sediment. Then filter just before I bottle. Local wine store here, owner says he is trying this, but he's just started and don't know if it will work all that well.

Clearing is not a big deal. I'm just wondering if putting less stuff in the wine would make it better in the long run. I age my wines for a couple of years before drinking.

Thanks in advance for any and all replies.

 

[heatherd]

Time will clear it without chemicals.

 

[ez2cy]

TY heatherd.

Do you feel without the chemicals it would make a better wine?

 

[JDC]

Fining agents are not required if you plan on bulk aging. Fining agents are provided with wine kits to expressly accelerate the wine making process & get the wine in bottles quickly. As stately above, time will clear your wine. If you plan on bulk aging for over 6 months, just let it go & add in an additional racking or two (don't do it too often). I have not used the fining agents provided in any of my kits for over three years & have only used them once on my home made pear that had a "haze". I do however use bentonite in the primary for whites, apple, & pear - to help with protein haze & provide a yeast-bed. Fining agents can sometimes strip some color and flavor (IMO). I also do not filter, I do not care if my wines are "super clear" - just have to taste good & have decent body.

 

[heatherd]

I try to put the least amount of chemicals in my wine possible, so I skip the sorbate and the clearing agents.

 

[PeterMills]

Interesting discussion!
here some points on adding (or not) the "chemicals":
Bentonite: Definitely add this, it does three things. 1. Adds some nutrient to the must that aids fermentation. 2. Strips out expired yeast hulls during primary fermentation which helps clearing. 3. provides a well-packed yeast bed that makes transferring easier. Also, no bentonite stays behind in the wine, so you haven't actually added anything to it.
Sulphite: Anti-oxidant. Definitely add it, if you don't, your wine will oxidize. Period. However, if you don't wish to add the sulphite (your choice, you paid for the kit ) do not under any circumstances add the sorbate. If you add sorbate without the sulphite you will tremendously increase the risk of that awful rotten geranium smell.
Sorbate: Prevents re-fermentation. If you make a kit with an F-Pack definitely add it. If not, the choice is yours. If you are confident that there is no residual fermentable sugar in your wine then you can get away without it.
Fining Agents: It is true that these, along with filtering, speed up the clearing process so that the wine is ready to bottle quickly. However there is no negative impact to adding them. By nature, clearing agents remove suspended particles from the wine by binding with them, making them heavier so they sink to the bottom in the form of sediment, which we rack the wine off of. So no clearing agent stays behind in the wine, as above its a wash, clearing agent goes in, clearing agent comes out. There is much more potential harm to your wine by multiple rackings (exposure to air) than there is from adding a clarifier
I too am a firm believer in bulk aging, and time will clear your wine, just avoid racking it more than onceor twice!

 

[kevinlfifer]

I would not filter either, that will just add to the oxidation risk. After bulk aging that long your as clear as you will get.

 

[DoctorCAD]

I would not filter either, that will just add to the oxidation risk. After bulk aging that long your as clear as you will get.

Not really correct, if you filter under vacuum, there is no risk of oxygenation. Also, filtering is not to clear wine, but to add sparkle to an already clear wine. It does make a difference.

 

[Floandgary]

Unless you "splash-rack" all the time and aerate your wine, the minimal exposure when racking off sediment is unlikely to do any harm. I rack-over @every 3 months and have not experienced any problem.

 

[jsiddall]

I would not filter either, that will just add to the oxidation risk. After bulk aging that long your as clear as you will get.

I filter during a racking so there is no more oxidation than any other racking.