Easier to find Chemicals

Hi Dave,

I haven't used gelatin, so I'm not sure about how the substitution would work, but I think it would. It'd just be a matter of running lab trials to see how much to use, how to dilute it, etc.

You definitely don't want to substitute pectin for pectic enzyme. Pectin is what causes the haze; pectin enzyme is what breaks down pectin and clears the haze.

As for other substitutions, people have used lemon juice for acid additions, but it's NOT a good idea if you're going to do ML. The ML bugs will turn citric acid into diacetyl, and your wine will smell badly of movie house popcorn.

Dave

**************************************************************************** Dave Breeden snipped-for-privacy@lightlink.com

I've been making jelly/jam for years. Don't substitute jelly pectin in winemaking. That pectin is what makes the fruit liquid thicken to a jelly or jam consistency; something you wouldn't want your wine to do. As to unflavored gelatin - my guess is that too is used to thicken a liquid to a jello consistency. Although I have not been at this as long as others, you can use lemons or oranges for the acid requirement in wine. Darlene

I would recommend the home winemakers manual by Lum Eisenman. You can download a copy in pdf format here.

Chapter 14 is on Fining and Fining materials, I had a pear wine last year that I could not get to clear until I tried unflavored gelatin. The manual told me how much and it worked like a charm.

Rick

Yeah, it's different. As in "the exact opposite" kind of different.

Pectic enzyme is the enzyme that _breaks_down_ pectin.

You will be very very sorry if you use pectin instead of pectin enzyme mate ! If you were not aware pectin enzyme REMOVES the pectin . Good Luck Jack Wechsler

Dave - You have had a lot of suggestions. My question...why not buy from your local beer and wine making store. They need your business. You don't say where you live but if there isn't a local store there are plenty that will fill your order a ship to you. Try Bacchus & Barleycorn at snipped-for-privacy@bacchus-barleycorn.com. They are my local store, nice people and can provide a lot of good winemaking info if you ask.

Bill Frazier Olathe, Kansas USA

this any differant than pectic enzime? <

yes, completely different.

pectic enzyme will break down pectin.

Bill has a good point, your local store usually has the materials you need and generally a lot of expertise to go along with it. My local store (25 mi. away but the closest) also does the wine in the store for you if that's what you want. Many of us start out that way but then decide we want to do it ourselves - more satisfaction and you can try different things they don't do but they are still a great source of chemicals, wine kits, equipment and information. If you don't purchase from them because you can save a few cents somewhere else and enough do this after a while they are gone. When I first started making wine over 30 years ago there were no local winemaking stores where you could go to get equipment or information. After a few years the local drug store started to carry some equipment but then only because the owner was a winemaker and it made it easier for him and the rest of us in the area.

A good case for getting your supplies from your local wine store. My wife and I attended a garden party put on by my local store last night. They do this twice a year. The new kits from French wines were coming out and they made up some of each of the new ones. Three guys serving the wine and a caterer to provide snacks. There were at least a dozen varieties of wine (I tried about 8) and the snacks were not cheap - bacon wrapped oyster, jumbo shrimp, mussels etc. The wife agreed to be DD and she only had 3 samples. (Samples were about 1/3 glass) Found a few I really liked and some that were so so for my taste. Needless to say the next kits I buy will be some of the ones I really liked. Oh yeah total cost for the evening $15 CDN per couple, talking to the owners daughter and their cost was about $15 per person but the good will generated and the fact I will try some wines that I might not have tried otherwise makes up for it in the long run.

I'm only a satisfied customer and have no affiliation so any of you winemakers in the Chatham Ont. Canada area check out Stompin Grapes in Chatham, friendly knowledgeble staff and they likely have most of what you are looking for.

Rick

Yes, I have had many good suggestions, Thank you to all who responded. The problem is, the nearest "local wine store" is at least an hour and a half away. I have found many places that will ship to me, and tend to get many of my supplies there. What I was wondering, though, is more for a "I need something, and don't want to pay more for shipping than for the item, and wait three days for it to get here" type of thing. I have nothing against local shops, and sorely wish there was one closer to where I live (Central IL, USA)

I have been useing Midwest homebrew for most of my mailorder stuff, and havn't had a problem with them. They ship quick, and all prices are reasonable. I was just looking for something that I could get at faster, without driving 90 minutes one way to get it.

dave

email: dallyn_spam at yahoo dot com please respond in this NG so others can share your wisdom as well!

This looks like a great site. Thanks for the info!

dave

email: dallyn_spam at yahoo dot com please respond in this NG so others can share your wisdom as well!