Wine Clarification — Isinglass

Isinglass is a super pure form of gelatin which is made from fish bladders. Isinglass is a very quick acting fining agent which is most effective on white wines. Is is very poor as to lees compactness as it creates a heavy deposit (see December 8, 2007 blog article regarding lees compactness).The Isinglass sold by BlueStem Winery is in liquid form and is in a 45mL packet. At the recommended rate of 1mL/L this packet would be adequate to treat two 6-gallon carboys. Isinglass is also marketed in a powdered version.

After fermentation is done, mix liquid Isinglass with a small portion of wine and then stir this mixture into your carboy. Allow wine to clear for two or more weeks and then rack to a clean carboy.

BlueStem Winery is into making wine but we do home brewing as a special hobby! Our retail store at 305 Third Street in Parkersburg, Iowa offers a complete inventory of brewing equipment, home brew supplies, homebrew ingredients, winemaking ingredients, wine making equipment, winemaking supplies, BlueStems Best homebrewing ingredients kits, Cellar Craft ingredient kits and WinExpert ingredient kits.

Today was the last day to pre-order WinExpert kits for their Limited Edition lineup for early 2008. If you missed the deadline, BlueStem has ordered several extra kits and will have these available on a first come, first served basis until they are gone! Cellar Craft limited edition kits will continue to be available with deadlines for each type of wine expiring monthly from December, 2007 to March, 2008.

If you need brewing supplies, beer brewing equipment, homebrewing ingredients, or wine making supplies, winemaking ingredients or wine making equipment for your home winemaking or homebrew hobby, look to BlueStem Winery for all your needs.

Wine Clarification — Egg Whites

One common household item that works well for fining red wines is egg whites. Egg whites are not suitable for fining white wines. Egg whites provide good lees compactness (see blog article from December 8, 2007).The use of egg whites for fining wines is usually appropriate only for wines made from grapes. Egg whites help alleviate astringent flavors from your wine.

The procedure for using egg whites as a fining agent is as follows:

1. Separate the egg white from the yolk (use 1 to 2 egg whites per 100 liters of wine).
2. Add the whites to salt water (dissolve a pinch of salt in 100mL of water for each egg white used).
3. Add mixture to wine and stir thoroughly.
4. Rack wine not later than 7-10 days after addition of egg whites.

BlueStem Winery is your winemaking supplies source! BlueStem also stocks a complete line of home brew supplies. Our homebrew ingredients line features our very own line of partial mash ingredient kits called BlueStems Best. Some of the ingredient kits offered include Amber Cerveza, American Amber, American Cream Ale, American Light and American Micro Style Pale Ale. Our lineup of WinExpert kits includes wine kits from the following series: Selection Estate, Selection Original (aka Selection Premium), Selection International, Vintners Reserve, Island Mist and Selection Speciale. BlueStem also carries kits from the Cellar Craft Showcase line and from Cellar Craft Classics.

BlueStem Winery also carries a complete line of winemaking ingredients for making wine from your own backyard fruit or grapes. We are committed to our wine making and beer brewing customers and stock wine making equipment. ingredients and supplies plus homebrewing supplies, equipment and ingredients.

Wine Clarification — Bentonite

Bentonite is an effective wine clarifier for all grape wines but it is especially useful in white wines because it helps prevent haze caused by proteins present in white wines. Bentonite provides poor lees compactness (see blog article from December 8, 2007).Bentonite is most effective if added prior to the start of fermentation. When I use bentonite I typically dissolve the clay in hot water and put this solution in the primary fermenter prior to any of the other ingredients, including the juice itself. It can also be added to wine which is fermenting after the first or even the second racking.

Use bentonite in a range from 1 to 4 grams per gallon of wine must. Add bentonite to warm water at the rate of 1 gram of bentonite per 12.5ml of water. Heat the water on the range and stir until the bentonite is completely dissolved. Then pour the bentonite into the primary fermenter and continue the addition of the other wine ingredients. If adding bentonite at any time other than pre-fermentation you should use one half of the above recommendation. Wines treated with bentonite should be kept within a temperature range of 60 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit.

BlueStem Winery offers a wide range of WinExpert wine ingredient kits and a selective line of Cellar Craft kits. Both WinExpert and Cellar Craft ingredient kits are excellent choices for your wine making hobby.

You can purchase all of your winemaking equipment and brewing supplies at any hour of the day or day of the year from our website. Your wine making supplies or beer brewing equipment will be shipped promptly and if you have questions we will be more than happy to assist.

Our homebrew ingredients and wine making ingredients are fresh! Home winemaking or home brewing are great hobbies and we will be more than happy to get your started.

Wine Clarification

When home wine making is done using fresh juices or grapes it is usually desirable to fine your wine to clarify (or clear) your wine. Fining is usually necessary because of the high amount or proteins present.There are quite a few fining agents available for the wine making hobbyist to choose from including Bentonite, egg whites, gelatin, Kieselsol, Isinglass, pectic enzymes, Chitosan, Sparkolloid, grape tannins and my personal favorite, LQ Super Kleer (a dosage of Kieselsol and a dosage of Chitosan). Wine can also be filtered in lieu of using a fining agent.

Fining agents which are not liquids should be dissolved in water prior to introduction into the wine. After fining, kit wines should stand for at least two weeks prior to stabilization, wine from juice should be allowed to clear for at least four weeks and wines from grapes should be allowed to clear for approximately eight weeks prior to stabilization.

A review of each of these fining agents will be done over the next few days beginning with Bentonite the next time I write a blog article.

When choosing a fining agent to use you should consider whether the agent works well with white wine or red wine or either and also you should consider the density of the lees which will result from the use of different agents. Fining agents which do poor job of lees compaction will result in a larger amount of sediment. This will possibly result in a second racking being required and ultimately a reduction in wine quantity. This aspect will be reviewed as we write about each of the fining agents.

BlueStem Winery is a licensed and bonded Iowa winery. We have been making wine professionally since 2005 and as wine making enthusiasts for over 30 years. We operate a retail store selling homebrewing supplies, wine making equipment, our own line of brewing ingredients kits called BlueStems Best and home winemaking kits from both WinExpert and Cellar Craft. WinExpert kits have been a staple at BlueStem since we opened in 2003 and we have just recently added the Cellar Craft kits to our winemaking supplies inventory.

We stock a complete line of winemaking equipment, homebrew supplies, beer brewing equipment, homebrewing ingredients plus wine making ingredients and supplies.

BlueStem prides itself on prompt shipping of your brewing equipment and home brew supplies purchases and on knowledgeable, friendly service. We will always take the time to help you with any problems or concerns.