Are some wines just unclearable

[megajester]

Just started making wine a couple of months ago and the first two have been clear but I've made a tea and sultana with no luck what so ever racked it 5 times now last time no sediment after two weeks I've used pecto, finnings, bentonite and vinbrite filter kit so my question is "are there wines that just dont clear?" tastes fantastic which is more important to me.

Cheers

Rob

 

[Aleman]

Unfortunately Rob, the answer is yes I've had several that won't clear . . .Rosehip is one, and damson was another . . . but fermented a kut damson and added it to the unclear one . . . . Guess what ? It cleared . . . . No idea why

 

[Moley]

Whoa! Hang on! Rewind.

If you've only been making wines for a couple of months, how can you possibly have racked anything 5 times?

Something in the deepest recesses of my memory tells me that I have made a tea wine, only once, many many years ago, that it was a bugger to clear and may even have gone down the sink after a year, but I really can't be sure.

I would usually first rack at around 4 weeks. With some of the ‘quickie’ wines I might stabilise and add finings at that point, but even with a ‘Wurzel’ I wouldn't bottle until 2 weeks after the finings.

With many of the country wines I might expect to second rack at 3 months, then put them away for a while and forget about them.

You shouldn't have a pectin haze (and you've treated with pecto), you can't have a starch haze (so amylase would be pointless), but something is nagging at me here, and I can't think what it is.


Just previewed post and noticed that Aleman has posted.
Problems with Rosehip???
Never :shock:

 

[Aleman]

Problems with Rosehip???
Never :shock:

Never had one clear . . . No Idea why . . . Just not one I could make . . . Tea was fine

 

[megajester]

Thanks for the replies. I racked after 3 weeks then again at another 3 weeks then after a week then after another week and now just racked again with the filter, am I racking too quickly I be advised to not leave the wine on the sediment for longer than 3 weeks is this wrong?. As the brew has sultanas in is it not wise to use pectos?. Thanks for all the advice. Im happy now to bottle now.

Cheers

Rob

 

[Moley]

Sorry Rob, I think what I meant to say was that sultanas shouldn't be particularly high in pectin in the first place, and as you've wisely used pectolase, that shouldn't be your problem.


Aleman. I made Rosehip several times back in the dim and distant past, and it was one that I particularly wanted to repeat now I'm back to winemaking. I've already got 2 gallons on-the-go (cultivated type) and am picking, sorting, washing and freezing the wild ones for another batch. I seem to recall that as soon as it had finished fermenting the yeasties practically went ‘whoomf!’ when they fell to the bottom of the DJs and it ended up looking like a slightly diluted Irn Bru. Just you wait, I bet this latest batch will prove me a liar now I've said that.

 

[TheCheekyMonkey]

me myself, have racked numerous times with wines, at varying times, moley probably wouldnt like the amount of times ive done mine, but hey, i must like racking lol, however it is a learning process , and i have learned to be more `laid back`, being new to homebrew you have a tendency to want to see the fruits of your labour , but i have got more patient now, however, i`m only allowed so many demijohns, so i do try to get my wines done `fast` so i can get em bottled and move on to the next `flavour`.


for a wine that wont clear, get a filter, vinbrite mk3 or equivelent, you cant go wrong!!!!!!!!!!!! definately worth the £20 or so you will pay for it.



p.s. my youngs country definitive strawberry wine just wouldnt clear at all, ran it through the filter and i can read the newspaper through the bottle now (after a few glasses of course!!)

 

[Moley]

Monkey, if you re-read the original post, he has already tried filtering.

I've said before, I am not an expert, I'm not qualified to say that multiple rackings is wrong, it just seems ike unnecessary interference to me. Yes, you have to get it off the sediment, but every time you rack is an opportunity for infection, so where do you draw the line?

however, I'm only allowed so many demijohns, so I do try to get my wines done `fast`

ALLOWED !?!?!?!?
By whom???? :shock:
What sort of talk is that, my lad? :evil:
You a primate or a rodent? :twisted:


Anyway, DJs just seem to multiply somehow

 

[TheCheekyMonkey]

heh heh, more space than the missus, but i`m sure they will multiply over time

 

[CptnCrackoff]

lol i have a permanant reserved sign on th worktop for at least 6 dj's, every now and then swmbo opens a cupboard and finds another DJ bubbling away!!

An empty DJ is a wasted DJ!!!! :rofl:

i have a raisin on the go, its been racked once ( i put the blended raisins atraight in the DJ) its clear as anything!! i'm going to leave it another 2/3 months before another racking, buts its lookin damn fine!!

 

[megajester]

Thanks Moley for your last post I hope I didnt sound like I was having a go sometimes I feel like that after I have re-read my posts so a big sorry if I did sound nasty but the very important issue that you have brought up on is when to rack "leaving on the sediment verses open to infection" I hope some other members can put their "two penth in"

Cheers

Rob

 

[Moley]

No problem Rob :

The trouble with a form of communication which relies 100% upon the written word is that what I mean, the way I write it and what you think I mean can often be 3 different things. We've never met, you can't see me, you have no body language to accompany my words. You can't hear the inflexion in my voice. I can offer an opinion with every good intention, which is based upon personal experience plus my interpretation of information I have gleaned from books or the internet, and because of the way I have set it out I have sometimes re-read my own posts and thought “well that makes you sound like proper pompous tw@”.

I made quite a lot of wine, many years ago, and I think I frequently made the mistake of leaving it sitting on sediments for far too long, so this time around I am racking sooner and more often. Even so, I stand by what I've said before, that 1 month, 3 months, and possibly again at 6 months (for anything which is staying in bulk long-term) is probably quite sufficient.

I too hope that some other members might put their two penn'orth in.