Visual test for clearness

[jnmar]

I know some are set up to filter before bottling their wines. But aside from filtering, what are some reliable methods for determining if your wine, primarily I'm speaking of reds, is clear enough to bottle? I'm not anywhere close to being ready so I'm asking mainly for informational purposes now.

 

[PeterZ]

What I do is have the carboy in a room that can be totally darkened. In the dark room take a strong flashlight and hold it right against the glass. First, shine the light from the side. The more distinct the beam is in the wine, the cloudier it is. Wine itself does not reflect light. Only particles floating in the wine - even if too small to see - will define the beam.


You can also shine the light from behind the carboy directly at your eye and look for haziness.

 

[tonyt]

I use a wine thief and put about one ounce in a clear wine glass. I tilt the glass sideways and hold it up to an incandescent light. Crystal clear is very obvious as is cloudy. If it is almost clear I compare to a wine aging that I know is very clear. I may drink the wine and replace with some marbles or I may just pour it back. Guess which one I do most often.

 

[jnmar]

Ha ha, I'm guessing you have a few pounds of marbles holding down those carboys.

 

[tonyt]

Ha ha, I'm guessing you have a few pounds of marbles holding down those carboys.

Ha Ha, darn right! Just used some to take that picture, thanks for the inspiration.

 

[jerry]

This has happened a few times to me, I bottled and the wine looked very clear. A few months later I noticed Cobb webbed floaters in the bottles. That's the best I can describe it. I don't think it was tartaric crystals, unless tartaric crystals have different shapes.