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a persistent white wine haze

I have a persistent haze in a chardonnay, made from frozen juice. The wine was finished too late to put it out for a cold stabilitzation. After completing an MLF, I couldn't get rid of a diffuse haze. I tried bentonite, and then superkleer. When that didn't work, I thought it might be a protein haze, but pectic enzyme (that I had initially used, but then repeated, didn't clear the wine at all.

Finally, I put the wine through a filtration, with perfect results.

I then put the carboy in a large refrigerator, hoping to precipitate out the excess tartaric acid, and the haze came back.

Interestingly, I had a small jug of the wine, left over, that wouldn't fit in the carboy, and this small jug, in the refrigerator, crystalized out perfectly, and is clear.

So, I suspect that the new haze is due to micro-crystals of tartaric. Does anyone have any other ideas? I doubt that this haze will clear on its own. Should I re-filter? re-fine? I've even allowed the carboy to warm up a bit, but it hasn't changed, and is diffusely cloudy.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Lee

Reply to
Lee
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I'd agree.

I think I'd keep it chilled. Leave it alone for at least two weeks, then see what it looks like. If it is microcrystals of tartaric acid, the haze will disappear when the wine reaches room temperature -- but of course it will reappear as soon as you chill the bottled wine. I vote for leaving it cold; see if the haze precipitates out. If it does, rack it, filter if necessary, then bottle. If it doesn't, then you need to be looking for other causes.

Reply to
Doug Miller

I have 18 galons of Crabapple that sat in a cool area for two years and had a persistent haze. I tried Pectic Exzyme and the haze persisted. I tried SuperKleer and the haze persisted. I filtered the wine with a SuperJet with #2 pads and the haze persisted. I treated one carboy with Hot Mix Sparkloid and it fell sparkling clear in four weeks.

I cannot explain it, but it worked.

Later, A. J. Rawls Anchorage, Alaska, USA

Reply to
A.J. Rawls

We have the same problem. I used the same steps as you, then got frustrated and tried a old fashion method. Take 1 egg white add a small amount of salt. Then beat the salt into the egg. Add in a cup of the wine to the egg white salt mixture. Beat the wine-egg-salt mix till large frothy bubbles appear. Add the mix to a 5 gallon carboy and stir. Within hours it should start clearing. For best results leave wine in the cold first then add egg.

Reply to
lync4016

mystifying how you could leave 18 gallons of wine sit for (2 years ?) with out sampling it. Cloudy or not WHY did you make it ? As you live in Alaska you must have had cold weather and you could have left the wine outside an d freeze it. Water freezes alcohol does not. The alcohol separated from t he water would have been over 40% or 80 proof USA. That would have been cl ear.....

Reply to
dncswclds

ed and tried a old fashion method. Take 1 egg white add a small amount of s alt. Then beat the salt into the egg. Add in a cup of the wine to the egg w hite salt mixture. Beat the wine-egg-salt mix till large frothy bubbles app ear. Add the mix to a 5 gallon carboy and stir. Within hours it should star t clearing. For best results leave wine in the cold first then add egg.

Tried the egg only left me with some very cloudy white egg product that was unservable. I use charcoal pressure filtering to save my batch

Reply to
dncswclds

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