post fermentation fine tuning (pectic, acid etc)

[inchrisin]

I finished up fermenting a gallon and a half of cherry wine. It's been in secondary for nearly a month. I didn't add acid blend, tannin, pectic acid, or anything else to the wine yet. I figured I could get away with adding this sometime before I bottle. Can I add this with a clarifying agent like Bentonite or Sparkolloid? Also, which clarifying agent would you use, and why?

Cheers!

 

[Yooper]

I finished up fermenting a gallon and a half of cherry wine. It's been in secondary for nearly a month. I didn't add acid blend, tannin, pectic acid, or anything else to the wine yet. I figured I could get away with adding this sometime before I bottle. Can I add this with a clarifying agent like Bentonite or Sparkolloid? Also, which clarifying agent would you use, and why?

Cheers!

Pectic enzyme breaks up the fruit pectin- that might clear up the wine if you have a pectin haze since you haven't used it yet.

As far as the other things, you can add acid blend or tannin at any time. Acid blend can help a "flabby" wine get some depth by providing some acid, and tannin gives wines a "bite" to them. If you use either, start very very small! Tannin especially can be strong- 1/8 teaspoon is not too little to start with, and even less ideally would be added at first in a small volume. It doesn't dissolve easily, so take a sample of the wine out, stir it in very very well, and add it gently to the rest of the wine (as to not aerate it). The acid blend is best added the same way, so that you don't stir the wine at this point.

I don't normally use clarifiers, but if you have a wine that just won't clear after sitting at least 60 days and is no longer dropping any lees, then you could try.

 

[inchrisin]

Pectic enzyme breaks up the fruit pectin- that might clear up the wine if you have a pectin haze since you haven't used it yet.

As far as the other things, you can add acid blend or tannin at any time. Acid blend can help a "flabby" wine get some depth by providing some acid, and tannin gives wines a "bite" to them. If you use either, start very very small! Tannin especially can be strong- 1/8 teaspoon is not too little to start with, and even less ideally would be added at first in a small volume. It doesn't dissolve easily, so take a sample of the wine out, stir it in very very well, and add it gently to the rest of the wine (as to not aerate it). The acid blend is best added the same way, so that you don't stir the wine at this point.

I don't normally use clarifiers, but if you have a wine that just won't clear after sitting at least 60 days and is no longer dropping any lees, then you could try.

Thanks as always. I think I'll probably add the tannin and acid blend to some boiling water and add it in. The wine is a touch stronger than I'd want it to be. This will help it set up quicker and I can actually top off the neck space in the fermenters this way. Great ideas.