Bentonite

Yes, reportedly it does. Which is why it is recommended that 1) you don't use Bentonite unless actually needed, and 2) you use bench tests to determine the minimum amount that will affect clearing

It is my understanding that BOTH tannin and Bentonite are negatively charged ions, and thus both attract the positively-charged protein ions in suspension. The combined weight of the two attached substances causes them to precipitate, and thus clear the wine.

Based on this, it seems unlikely that Bentonite will strip tannin from wine, although it can and does strip some of the colour and other elements --- in addition to the protein. In fact, wines that are high in tannin tend to clear themselves, because the tannin itself attaches to the protein ions and forces them to precipitate. One "home remedy" for a protein haze is to add tannin!

I have a dandelion wine which wouldn't clear, so I have added some bentonite, and I've been watching the wine clear. It's been about 10 days. Since this was the first time I used bentonite to clear a wine, I was wondering what experiences others have had with it. Will it clear more if I wait longer or not? I'm happy with how much it has cleared considering how cloudy it was. I wouldn't say the wine is crystal clear, but I've read the info on Jack's site, and I really don't want to overdue it. Thanks in advance. Darlene

John, I'm game for anything at this point. Let me see if I understand you correctly...you add bentonite, wait the proper time amount, then cold stabilize to damp down the bentonite, and then rack. Darlene

Hi Darlene:

I fined my Dandelion with Bentonite the last couple of years... Give it a couple of weeks then shine a "GOOD" flashlight thru it and look for suspended particles. It is clear when you don't see suspended particles.

Later, A.J. Anchorage, Alaska, USA

Thanks A.J., I'll give it a few more days. Darlene

considering

What is a better clarifying agent than Bentonite? Especially for fruit/flower wines?

Later, A.J.

John, Good point, it probably doesn't contain tartaric crystals. But I was thinking though that cold stabilization might be another way to help clear the wine, once the Bentonite has done its job. I've read through Jack's site on clearing wines, and using bentonite (for clearing purposes) seemed the most benign and the easiest method. I understand where you're coming from though. Thank you. Darlene

John, I do fruit/flower/vegetable wines. Usually I do not have any clearing problems with my wines (and I use pectin enzyme & tannin in all recipes), but every so often I get one which won't clear. Before I even try the Bentonite, I have already made sure that it is not a pectin haze or a starch haze. Last year, it was my Watermelon wine which wouldn't clear, but cold stabilization seemed to do the trick. This years watermelon wine was clear within a few months- same recipe...who knows??? My first dandelion wine cleared very well, this one has had problems. I've already determined that it wasn't a starch or pectin haze. And I also tried cold stabilization which helped a little bit. The Bentonite was my last shot at clearing. I might give Sparkalloid a shot with my next clearing problem - I'm willing to try new things. Thank you. Darlene

temperatures.

I think John's educated guess is right on concerning the unlikelihood of tartrate precipitate in dandelion wine. It is my understanding that grapes are quite unique in containing significant amounts of tartaric acid.

Glen Duff

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Dar V wrote:

darlene, i have a question for you, i hope you dont mind. i am fairly new at this home winemaking business...last year when i made some concord wine, i ended up with a ton of sediment after bottling that i was told was the tartaric acid problem. so after a little research i was told about the cold stabilization...keep in mind i never used a clearing agent with my first batch of that concord. so anyhow, now i have 4 batches of various juices which i began in septmeber, i had my husband bring them all out in the garage yesterday for the cold stabilization. i do want to use a clarifying agent with these and i assumed i was supposed to do that before bottling but you add your before cold stabilizing?? will thia make a differance for me? also, we are in pretty cold weather here(buffalo) i am terrified my carboys will crack! is this safe? thanks a bunch, marlene

First, I would read what others had to say in response to "will my carboys break?" I live in Wisconsin and I would not put one of my carboys out in the garage in January for cold stabilization. It might be in the 40's today but by Monday, they are saying we're in for a cold snap (high might be 15), low in the single digits. I've tried cooling my wines down by finding the coldest part of my basement - sometimes all it takes is a drop of 10 degrees or more to get more sediment to drop. You talked about sediment in your wine bottles. If I might ask, how old was your wine when you bottled it? and how many times did you rack it before you bottled it?

I tried cold stabilization with my dandelion wine to get it to clear, but that was in November, and it did clear a bit. Then, I brought it back in and racked it. I waited until it warmed up and then fined with bentonite. After about 3 weeks of clearing, I racked off the bentonite lees. Then I stabilized, sweetened, waited 10 days for more sediment to drop, and then bottled. Darlene

Due to the size of the pdf file it is not possible to post is on this newsgroup it contains 174 pages. If you provide a forwarding e-mail address I will post it to you. Stephen SG