What should you doing with your wine in January after the primary winemaking is completed? By now you should have racked your wine (transferring to a clean carboy) about 2 times. Racking includes topping up your container to minimize oxidation and dosing with potassium metabisulfite, which is an anti oxidant and an anti-bacterial agent. If the wine has not fallen bright, he (or she) needs to fine. We recommend fining before cold stabilizing. So fine and add your sorbate now so you can use our natural cold climate to stabilize your wines in January and February.

Fining agents are more efficient in clearing wine when a sediment base exists. It is very important to properly prepare the fining agent and to mix the agent thoroughly with the wine or beer AND the sediment. Negatively charged fining agents such as bentonite will attract and bring together particles having a positive charge. Positive agents such as isinglass and sparkolloid will attract negatively charged particles. This process allows for the molecular weight structures of the particles to become larger. Larger and heavier particles fall to the bottom of the carboy when their mass becomes large enough. If the fining agents do not find enough particles to join together into larger particles (which will fall out) then the clarification process can stall. Small particles on their own will remain suspended and the effectiveness of the fining agents is reduced.

We would direct the winemaker who wants a fining agent to try LQ Super Kleer KC, which is a two pack of Kieselsol and Chitosan. Kieselsol and Chitosan- “LQ Super Kleer KC” create both strong negative and strong positive charges in the wine, allowing for faster and successful clearing. It is added directly to the wine followed by vigorous stirring. The wine is racked off the sediment about in 7 to 10 days. Super Kleer KC may be used with reds or whites.
Bentonite has a negative charge. Bentonite is best added immediately following the completion of the primary fermentation. Wine with a high pH will require more bentonite to obtain the same results as less bentonite at a lower pH. Use 2.6 to 4.5 grams per gallon. (2.6 grams of granular Bentonite = 5/8 teaspoons). Mix Bentonite with 5 oz. of water. Let stand overnight or for at least 2 hours. Mix some wine back into the slurry and add to wine. This is fast acting. You can probably rack in 24 hours.

Sparkolloid is a polysaccharide in a diatomaceous carrier with a positive charge. It does not strip color. Usage for cold mix is 1/2 teaspoon per gallon. Mix required amount with a small amount of cold water. Mix well until solution is smooth and creamy. Add mixture to the finished wine and stir. Let settle for one week or more, then rack or filter. One ounce will treat approx. 35 gallons. If using hot mix: for 5 gallons dissolve 2.3 grams (1 3/4 tsp.) in 1/2 cup of boiling water. Simmer about 15 – 30 minutes until mixture is smooth and creamy. Replenish water if necessary, may agitate in a blender. Add some wine to thin and add to the wine while still hot. Agitate well. Wait 1-2 weeks for settling.

These are our most popular fining agents and yes, there are more. If you need to fine a red wine that is too high in tannin, use gelatin. Gelatin is used at the rate of 1/2 to 2 grams per 5 gallons. It is not recommended for use with white wine as it requires tannin to work and white wines are usually low in tannin. You could treat part of the wine, incase the gelatin strips out too much of the tannin, then blend the untreated portion back.

If you are bottling a sweet wine, we recommend that you add your sorbate with proper sulfur levels prior to cold stabilization. ADD SORBATE at the rate of 1-2 grams per gallon (1/2 teaspoon is approximately 1 gram). You must have proper Meta levels when using sorbate. Dose the Meta at the same time you do the sorbate (or run a free SO₂ test). If you add SORBATE without cold stabilizing, allow 24 hours before bottling. However, the addition of any potassium ion will make the wine unstable and this is why cold stabilizing is recommended after adding sorbate.

During January and February the cool climate winemaker needs to cold stabilize his wines. Cold stabilization reduces some of the acid. If you used Potassium to reduce the acid, cold stabilization is part of the equation and you MUST cold stabilize. Put glycerin or sufficient alcohol (vodka) in the airlock to prevent freezing. Place the carboy at 25-30^o F for 2 weeks or more. A temperature of 25-30 degrees F is safe temperature for the amateur winemaker dealing with glass as a container. You could rig up an old freezer or refrigerator with a thermostat for this task.

Excess tartrates will precipitate from the wine. This mellows the wine by reducing the acid. It will help stabilize the wine by preventing these tartrates from settling out after bottling. Rack into a clean carboy, adding proper metabisulfite. Top up with wine. If you don't have time to rack while still cold, it is ok. The crystallization of the tartaric acid will not reverse.