A barely perceptible turbidity remains in a transparent-looking drink – the waste products of yeast fungi, the protein mass left over from dead yeast, cream of tartar and other impurities.
Before bottling wine, no matter what sort it is, it is advisable to clean it, clarify it, or, as professional winemakers say, paste it over. By fining is understood the addition of various substances to wine, which have an adsorbing effect and contribute to the precipitation of foreign impurities.
It should be noted right away that clarification (fining) and wine filtration are two different things. They filter wines through various filters made of paper, flannel, etc. This process greatly affects the quality of the wine, and not for the better. During filtration, the drink “exhales”, which means it becomes less durable, so fining is always a priority.
Gelatin
This is one of the best ways to get rid of haze and cause minimal damage to the product. Gelatin can also be dosed more accurately, unlike, for example, egg white. For 10 liters of wine, you need from 0,5 to 2 g of high-quality, natural gelatin.
Before pasting, it must be soaked for 2-3 hours in 5-10 times the amount of cold water (you can soak for a day, 2-3 times the water needs to be changed). Then you need to add the same amount or a little more boiling water and mix well. The result should be a gelatin solution with a temperature of 35-40 оWith no lumps.
This is what a perfectly clarified wine should look like.
The wine must be twisted into a funnel and gradually pour in the gelatin solution in a thin stream, not forgetting to constantly stir the drink. Then the wine is poured into a vessel, which must be tightly corked and left in a cool place for 2-3 weeks until it is completely clarified. After that, it is enough to drain it from the sediment.
Before using gelatin, several samples should be taken so as not to miss the amount. After 3-4 days it will become clear which sample will ultimately give the best result.
egg white
One egg white is enough to clarify 50 liters of wine, you can take 100-2 per 3 liters. It is very important to use fresh eggs. Carefully separate the protein from the yolk and lightly beat it with a little water until foamy.
Pour the resulting solution into the wine and mix it thoroughly, then install a water seal on the container and send the wine to settle for 2-3 weeks. Protein, like gelatin, binds tannins, so it is advisable to add it to white wines where tannins are not appropriate, as well as to red wines, as an intermediate purification agent.
Bentonite
They can be clarified immediately or do it after cleaning the wine with protein or gelatin in the event that they did not give a precipitate. Bentonite is just refined clay. Sold as a fine-grained gray powder. If you have not been able to buy bentonite specifically for winemaking purposes, you can use clay cat litter. The main thing is that the clay is cleaned and disinfected.
For 1 liter of wine you need 1-3 g of bentonite. Samples should be carried out before gluing to determine the exact amount.
The process of clarification of wine with bentonite approximately looks like this:
- Bentonite in the right amount is poured with 10 times the amount of water for 10-12 hours (overnight). During this time, the clay will swell and turn into a suspension. Then you need to add the same amount of clean water to it and mix until a homogeneous, creamy mass.
- We twist the wine into a funnel and pour bentonite into the center in a thin stream, constantly stirring the drink.
- We wait 5-7 days until the sediment completely falls out and drain the crystal clear wine.