Chill then Fine, or Fine then Chill - All in a Corny?

I'd say fine and then chill. That way you can get the bitartrate crystal crust to sit on top of the fining lees. which makes racking easier.

Pp

Jason, Here are some general guidelines from ECKraus and Zoecklein if you decide to use bentonite, I usually use that on whites.

A little goes a long way. I would avoid pumping if possible on whites. Don't throw out the lees, resettle them in a smaller tall container, the lees are a bit fluffy.

Joe

Thanks Joe-

I added the Betonite about 4 days ago, stirred it as recommended. The bottom of the demijohn is rather well coated now, but I still have significant haze. Should I rack off to another demi or would you recommend leaving it- the third option is to rack to a corny for chill stabilization.

I picked up a great deal on 0.40 micron steril filter pads from a local supply shop- that's going to be my final pass.

This chard, to the best of my knowledge, never underwent MLF- and has no malic acid present.

If you see haze you will probably bind up that filter quickly, why not give it more time and see what happens? I have left wine on bentonite lees for months with no ill effects, others will chime in if that seems unwise.

Try shining a strong light across the carboy and move it from top to bottom looking at it at a right angle to the beam. (Don't look directly into the beam.) If you see more of the beam's outline at the bottom than at the top, the wine is slowly clearing. You can see a stratification at times with the beam that you would not pick up with a naked eye.

Joe

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I generally advise to chill then fine. the precipitation of bitartrate often fines the wine for you.

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