Adding finings days after racking

[matjam]

Hiya,

A few days ago (maybe 4) I racked and stabilised two demijohns of WOW. At the time I did not have any finings.
I now have some finings (the A & B type).

Am I ok to add them now, and if so can I stir/agitate my wine up again to mix in the fining solutions?

It says the wine should be degassed, which I did when racking but do I need to do that again?

Cheers,
Matt

 

[Chippy_Tea]

No need to degass again, I use vinclear and you are instructed to stir after adding it, did yours come with instructions?

 

[matjam]

Thanks CT.

There are brief instructions on the outside of the box:
Add Finings A and allow 1 hour, mixing thoroughly.
Add Finings B after 1 hour, mixing thoroughly.

It also says:
It is advisible to transfer the wine after treatment (usually within 24-72 hours depending on temperature).

I've read that people don't rush to move wine again after the initial racking. Maybe I'll take a view on this by looking at how much sediment there is.

 

[Tim_Crowhurst]

I usually stir the wine so that it is already moving when I add the finings. It helps them mix more quickly than only stirring afterwards. If there's any gas in the wine, that quick stir will release enough to let you know.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

Thanks CT.

There are brief instructions on the outside of the box:
Add Finings A and allow 1 hour, mixing thoroughly.
Add Finings B after 1 hour, mixing thoroughly.

It also says:
It is advisible to transfer the wine after treatment (usually within 24-72 hours depending on temperature).

I've read that people don't rush to move wine again after the initial racking. Maybe I'll take a view on this by looking at how much sediment there is.

The kits i have made so far dont call for it to be removed you do it from start to finish in the FV, WOW's are a different beast and you are advised to rack to a clean DJ then degas and finish.

De-Gassing

Your wine contains dissolved carbon dioxide, rather like an almost flat bottle of Cola. Getting rid of it is meant to aid clearing. Some people are quite obsessive about getting as much gas out as they can and use whisks or vacuum devices over a period of a couple of days. Other people simply don’t bother at all. Search the forums, read up about it and make your own mind up. I just make a token attempt.

Put your (washed) hand over the neck of the jar and give the jar a gentle shake, ease your palm away and the wine will fizz. Cover again and give it a harder shake, release the fizz.

Stabilising

You may wish to sweeten your wine before you bottle it. If you do, then you must use potassium sorbate, sometimes labelled as “wine stabiliser”, or the yeasties will start up again and you will have a stronger, but still dry wine, or your corks will pop or your bottles will burst. Use at the rate of half a teaspoonful to the gallon, it dissolves almost immediately but give it a minute or so and shake the jar again.

Clearing

You now have two options, your wine should clear naturally but that may take a few weeks, or you can speed things up with finings.

Over the centuries, people must have tried adding some weird and wonderful things to help clear their wine faster. Let’s face it, some of the products commercially available today might seem pretty weird.

Gelatine is derived from collagen in animal skin and bones.
Isinglass is another form of collagen derived from the swim bladders of fish.
Chitosan is derived from the shells of crabs and other marine crustaceans.

In short, vegetarians have got a problem, your options are patience or bentonite - a type of volcanic clay.

Many types of wine finings are available, some come in bottles, others come in sachets, some may require two components to be used within half an hour, or 24 hours. Read the labels and follow the instructions.

I use Vinclear, a one-shot isinglass finings which costs me £2.15 for a bottle which treats around 15-20 gallons. I add around 1 tablespoonful (15ml) to the gallon, give it a minute and then shake it again.