White Thread-like things floating in my plum wine

[Sashie]

I bottled my shiro plum wine approximately four weeks ago. The wine was clear and tasted great. today I noticed that two of the bottles have white thread- like (I do not want to use the word worm) things floating in them.

Anyone have any experience with this? Do I have to throw out? Or is there a way to salvage? any ideas would be very appreciated.
thank you

 

[Sashie]

To be clear, not floating on top but in the wine.

 

[Julie]

how about a pic?

 

[djrockinsteve]

Rob has a problem like this with some of his wine he added hot inverted sugar to. It tastes fine but has thread like white streams in the bottles. Our best guess was that the hot sugar blended with the pectin in the wine causing this appearance.

Still not positive about the cause. Just FYI

 

[mmadmikes1]

I alway got white floaties in plum until I started cleaning the wax off skins before I made wine. soda ash works.

 

[Sashie]

Having trouble getting a good shot but will keep trying.

Steve, what you have described sounds right. It seems like tiny particles at first that start to gel together to form the "worm". It also seems that it's effecting more than two bottles. I just did some reading and it seems like it might be Pectic haze. (???)

 

[Sashie]

We grow our own plums so it's not wax. Maybe I didn't add enough Pectin Enzyme.

 

[mmadmikes1]

Plums have natural wax on skins. I don't buy fruit either. At least not for wine, it would cost to much

 

[djrockinsteve]

Rob did 2 batches. 1 he added inverted sugar that he boiled while the other he added nothing. Then bottled.

The one he added sugar all have this stuff and it is in equal amounts. The other identical only no sugar is fine.

He did not add pectic enzyme up front. If I can find his photo I'll link it for you. I'll tell him about this thread and see if he can add any more insight.

Below is his thread about what sounds like what you have.

http://www.winemakingtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=13004&highlight=brianna

Either way his he says tastes fine.

 

[Runningwolf]

Not to change the direction of thought here but could it be refermentation. If you shake up the bottle do you get a pfffft? The bottle that Steve licked you to looks a lot like on I had this weekend that was a year old and it was refermenting. Thank God it was in a cooler and not out in the open to warm up.

ps. I'll get even with the person that gave that to me!

 

[rob]

I have convinced myself that mine has refermented, I had one bottle pop the cork, and when I opened it was like opening a bottle of champagne, lots of fizz, I did sorbate and read now that sorbate has a very short life, however Steve also brings up a good point, I would say it is one of these two, open a bottle like Dan says and shake it up

 

[Runningwolf]

I have convinced myself that mine has refermented, I had one bottle pop the cork, and when I opened it was like opening a bottle of champagne, lots of fizz, I did sorbate and read now that sorbate has a very short life, however Steve also brings up a good point, I would say it is one of these two, open a bottle like Dan says and shake it up

Rob not only did the one this weekend look like that but so did that Apple of mine that blew last month. Funny thing is only one out of 35 bottles of the Apple refermented. Wade explained that it was probably just one little yeasted that escaped everything. I think someone pricked a hole in the filter hoping for babies.

 

[Wade E]

Yep, sounds like refermentation to me also. pop a bottle and see if its slightly fizzy at all! If so pop all the corks and let it finish again. Funny thing is that the only time I had refermentation in the bottle by accident was with a Plum wine also. I wonder if there is something about plums tat fights sorbate or something!

 

[rob]

Did you know that most commerial wineries do not sorbate, they use absolute filters

 

[Wade E]

Yep. I plan on getting one but they are pricey!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Sashie]

I did not add sorbate but I did cold stabilize

 

[Sashie]

Rob - do you mean shake the bottle first and then open?

as you can see in the photo, there are some tiny bubbles but also thread like

 

[Sashie]

Here is another photo

 

[Wade E]

You didnt add sorbate???????? Its fermentation for sure!!! YOU HAVE TO ADD SORBATE! Unless you sterile filter a wine you have to add sorbate. Cod stabilization just puts the yeast into hibernation!

 

[Runningwolf]

I think I can hear the bottles ticking away.....