Before clarifying wine, you should know some nuances:

• Firstly, if there is no experience in such things, then test 200-300 ml of the drink should be cleaned. So as not to spoil the rest of the wine.
• Secondly, for fining wine, you need to use natural clarifying raw materials.
• Thirdly, after clarification, fermentation processes can be observed. In this case, you need to reduce the temperature in the room where the wine is stored to 10˚C.

You also need to correctly calculate the dosage of absorbents so that they completely absorb particles of raw materials.

Methods

1. White clay - bentonite. Used as a powder with fine grains. Perfectly absorbs the causes of turbidity. Particularly suitable for grape wines. Clarification of 1 liter of wine with bentonite requires only 3 g of powder (for comparison: 20 g fits in 1 tablespoon). Pasting technology is as follows:

• Bentonite for clarification of wine is poured with cool water in a ratio of 1:10, then infused for about 12 hours. For pasting 10 liters of an alcoholic drink, you need to prepare 30 g of white clay and 300 ml of water.
• Bentonite hardens into lime. So the clay needs to be diluted with water and slowly poured into a container with wine.
• After a week, removing the sediment, you can check the result.

2. Gelatin. Clarifying wine with gelatin is an easy way. It works great with all types of wines. Purification requires 1.5 g of gelatin per 10 liters of wine. Before use, gelatin must be soaked in water for 24 hours, then poured into wine. After a couple of weeks, the resulting drink can be drained from the sediment.

3. Protein of chicken eggs. Used to refine red wines. For 10 liters of alcohol you need 1-2 eggs. Warm water is mixed with egg white, and the mixture is whipped until foamy. It is better to use the mixer on high power. Then you need to pour a little wine into the rolls with water, mix and pour the resulting mixture into a container with the rest of the wine. The result will be obtained after 3 weeks.

4. Chitosan. It is obtained from the chitin of crustaceans. It is practically insoluble in water, but highly soluble in some acids. Dissolved chitosan is an excellent absorbent of fats, hydrocarbons and fat-soluble substances. One is rarely used. Usually, wine is first treated with chitosan, and then with Kizelsol - this is how the best effect is achieved.

5. Activated carbon. It is charcoal that is needed, since pharmacy charcoal is not very effective. In general, this method is rarely used. Usually - with a high content of fusel oils or an unpleasant odor. For 10 liters of alcohol, 3-4 g of powdered activated carbon is required. Mix well and infuse for 4 days, shaking from time to time.

6. Lightening with heat. The first step is to tightly seal the wine bottles. Then you need to prepare a container of water, where the bottle will fall. Clarification occurs due to a slow increase in temperature to 50˚C. After that, you need to slowly cool the wine and let it stand for a week.

7. Cold. Low temperatures sink small particles to the bottom. To do this, 3 liters of wine are placed in the refrigerator or in the winter on the balcony for 24 hours. Then you need to quickly drain the wine until it warms up.

8. Tannin. It is a woody powder from the heart of oak, very effective for apple wines. The advantage of this method is that tannin gives a special astringency to the finished drink. First, wood powder must be mixed with water (200 ml of water per 1 g of powder). The mixture is infused, then strain through cheesecloth. For 1 liter of drink you need 6 tsp. soaked tannin. You can remove the wine from the sediment after a week.

Unfortunately, it is not always possible to lighten fruit and berry wine, especially in non-professional home conditions, especially for beginners.

If the wine remains cloudy, then you can let it stand in a cool and dark place for another month - one and a half. Perhaps a precipitate will fall out, which is easy to get rid of.

The considered methods should be tried on small volumes of wine. If the pasting still failed, but the taste of the drink has not changed for the worse, then it can be. In the absence of a distiller, such wine can only be poured out and tried to cook again.

Bentonite and its features

Bentonite is an aluminosilicate whose crystal lattice is capable of swelling. The basis of the swelling-causing lattice is montmorillonite. Due to this ability, bentonite is widely used in winemaking. does not adversely affect the properties and performance of drinks.

Purpose:

• stabilization and clarification of fruit and berry and grape juices;
• wort clarification, removal of oxidizing enzymes and proteins;
• stabilization and clarification of fruit and berry and grape wine materials.

Bentonite can be used both separately and together with other substances. Its dosage is determined in the laboratory.

Methods for preparing bentonite

The concentration of bentonite in the suspension prepared in the laboratory ranges from 5 to 20%. Bentonite is placed in a conical flask, water is poured into it, heated with constant stirring to 50-60 degrees, one gram of Na2CO3 is added and brought to a boil. After cooling, the suspension can be used.

Under production conditions, a 20% aqueous suspension is prepared. Bentonite is poured with water, mixed, soda ash is added, heated to 95-100 degrees, stirring. Chilled suspension can be used.

The slurry preparation temperature may be lower, but it will take longer. You can cook it in two doses, for the first time heating up to 50 degrees, and after 15 hours again up to 70-80.

If heating is not possible, you can put bentonite in hot water, mix and add soda. After mixing and cooling, the suspension is ready.

It is also prepared without heating, setting the required amount of water, and then soda ash. The suspension is stirred in a bentonite cooker 4-5 times during the day. Accelerates the process of intensive mixing with a piston pump. The cooking process can last from 10 minutes to two days.

Bentonite Benefits

1. Reduces the amount of adhesive deposits during processing:
   • light-glued wine materials, by reducing the concentration (3%) of soda ash;
   • must in the manufacture of dry white and champagne wines, excluding the addition of soda ash.

1. It is convenient for use in production, due to the fact that a 20% solution is mobile, so when mixed with wine, lumps do not form.

1. Small doses and low cost with the same or higher technological performance, which increases its effectiveness by 2-4 times.

1. The possibility of using a suspension of higher concentration.

Delivery of bentonite is carried out in polypropylene bags, storage - in dry rooms without extraneous odors.

Bentonite is produced in accordance with specifications. The document specifies the requirements for the quality of the product, including hygienic ones. Quality control is carried out by the manufacturer and supplier.

Fortified and table wines are bottled and served after aging for 3-6 months. Provided that the wine fermented vigorously, properly defended and clarified on its own. Some fruit and berry and white wines do not settle on their own, and beginners in home winemaking can make mistakes in the process of preparing the must, violate the conditions in which the mash should stand. Also undesirable is the presence in the finished drink of a faintly distinguishable turbidity, which is formed as a result of the vital activity of wine yeast fungi, is a protein of dead yeast, tartar, impurities of a different origin.

Wine can be clarified in many ways and using various substances - gelatin, tannin, chicken egg protein, casein, fish glue, hence the name of the process - gluing, or gluing. The choice of substance for processing depends on the type of drink: gelatin is used to clarify white grapes, apples, pears and plums, egg white for reds, tannin for drinks with a high sugar content.

Grape varieties are more effective to lighten with white clay. , or white clay is a purified natural material with excellent absorbent properties. It is better to order and buy it in specialized online stores offering winemaking products at home. Some winemakers use clay intended for cosmetic purposes or filling cat litter, but usually such material is perfumed, the smell will subsequently be transferred to the finished drink.

Benefits of bentonite in wine clarification

The main advantages in the use of wine bentonites are explained by the high absorbent properties of the finely porous material, due to which:

• the drink is cleared of impurities - large particles and suspensions;
• the level of iron in the drink decreases;
• in the purified wine, all extraneous unpleasant odors are eliminated, only the grape or fruit aroma of natural wine and the corresponding bouquet remains;
• refined wine is provided with the taste and aftertaste characteristic of a certain variety of natural grape drink.

Purified clay is a chemically neutral substance that does not react with the material of the container in which the drink is aged and with the contents.

Bentonite material is used in the secondary processing of wine, if gelatin, protein, tannin and other absorbents do not give the desired result, which once again confirms its advantages over other substances for fining drinks.

This is not only a homemade way to clarify wine and moonshine. Wines of various varieties and brands, as well as stronger drinks, are treated with bentonite to clarify and eliminate impurities and odors in the distillery industry.

Not the last place in the list of advantages is the low price of the material, as well as its low consumption: for pasting 1 liter of wine, only 3 grams of purified clay is required.

How to use wine bentonites

In specialized online stores, you can buy bentonite in the most purified form. It is already crushed fine-grained powder, ready for use. How to use it is detailed in the clarification instructions that come with the package, which can be found below.

The level of purification of white clay purchased at a pharmacy or beauty salons is suitable for gluing wines, but you should choose a product without a pronounced smell.

Clay from pet stores for filling cat litter is less refined, but can also have masking odors that are unacceptable for wines.

Therefore, cosmetic bentonite or clay from pet stores is best used to lighten home brew in home brewing. Clarification of wine is best done with a specially purified product purchased in specialized stores.

Instructions for cleaning wines with bentonite

If a novice winemaker messed up with the wine instructions, and as a result, the drink did not clear itself during the aging time set for each variety, cleaning with bentonite is necessary. White clay can be applied immediately or after unsuccessful pasting with gelatin, protein or other substances.

If you bought ready-made powder in a specialized store, just follow the step-by-step instructions exactly:

1. Pour dry powder with water in a ratio of 1:10.
2. Leave for 10-12 hours to swell.
3. Dilute with water until liquid.
4. Stir the wine to form a funnel.
5. Pour the bentonite solution into the formed funnel.
6. Leave the wine to settle for 5-7 days.
7. Drain the clarified drink from the sediment and bottle it.

If white clay is purchased from a pet store, pharmacy, or beauty salon, it needs to be pre-treated, as it is sold in shapeless pieces or bars and has not been heat-treated. In this case, the preliminary preparation includes the following steps:

• crush a lump or bar into small fragments;
• spread the crumbs in a thin layer on a baking sheet;
• preheat the oven to 120 degrees;
• place a baking sheet with clay chips in the oven for 45 minutes;
• grind the crumb to a powder state in an old blender or coffee grinder;
• store in a dry place in a glass container with a tightly closed lid that does not allow air and moisture to pass through.

The resulting powder is used in accordance with the instructions posted above.

When using clay that is not intended for, preliminary testing is recommended. Pour the contents of the container into a glass and, in accordance with the proportions, try the self-made powder. If the process of flake formation and their settling to the bottom does not begin within 2-3 hours, you should not use the prepared powder on a large volume of the drink.

Remember that the thick mass that settles to the bottom forms difficult-to-remove solid blockages in the pipes, and therefore it cannot be disposed of through the sewer system. The mass must be collected in unnecessary containers - bags, boxes, containers - and taken out to an outdoor trash can intended for construction waste. The container should be washed immediately after removing the sediment, preventing it from drying out and hardening.

The use of clarification instructions will ensure high-quality cleaning of grapes and foreign fractions and odors, while retaining the color, flavor bouquet, aftertaste and aroma of a natural drink, inherent in the variety that you want to receive.

The specialized online store of the Best Group company, which produces and sells materials for winemaking and brewing, offers to buy highly purified fine-grained bentonite, specially designed for clarification of wines at home. Apply by phone, e-mail or come to the specified address.

Bentonite clays are aluminosilicates of the composition (OH) 4 Si 8 Al 4 O 20 ·H 2 O and consist mainly of montmorillonite. Due to their high adsorption capacity, bentonite clays are used to clarify must or wine, as well as to stabilize grape wines against protein haze. Bentonites of the following deposits are recommended: in Azerbaijan - Gekmalinskoye, Khanlarskoye, Khurlalinskoye; in Georgia - Askan; in Moldova - Tiraspol; in Turkmenistan - Oglanlinskoye; in Ukraine - Gorbskoye, Kurtsevskoye, Pyzhevskoye, Krymskoye (kil); in Uzbekistan - Akzamar.

The bentonite used to prepare the suspension must be dry. It must be stored in a dry and clean place, in kraft bags or boxes.

Before use, bentonite is mechanically cleaned from impurities (pieces of wood, coal, iron, earth).

Despite the widespread use of bentonite in winemaking to protect wines from protein haze, the mechanism of action of bentonites has not yet been fully deciphered. There is currently no generally accepted theoretical explanation for the clarifying effect of bentonites, covering all cases of their application. Most often, this process is considered as adsorption, but other researchers believe that it is complicated by a competing ion-exchange action. Some researchers have tried to consider bentonites as amphoteric electrolytes. However, the groundlessness of these views has been proven.

They also tried to explain the clarifying effect of bentonites by the flocculating effect, but this explanation is also one-sided.

Thus, the mechanism of action of bentonites has not yet received a clear explanation.

Carrying out trial treatment with bentonite to clarify must or wine. To select the best dose of bentonite, a trial treatment is carried out. For this purpose, a 5% wine-water suspension is used, which is prepared from a 20% aqueous solution available at the factory. If not available, an aqueous suspension is prepared in the laboratory: 80 ml of hot water at a temperature of 90-95°C is added to 20 g of bentonite and left for a day. Then the swollen mass is stirred until smooth and 300 ml of wine is added with thorough mixing. The mixture is left for several minutes, after which it is separated from mechanical impurities. 200 ml of wine or must is poured into 10 cylinders with a capacity of 250 ml. A 5% suspension is pipetted into each cylinder in increasing doses of 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, etc., which corresponds to 2.5-45 g of bentonite per 1 dal of wine. After adding the suspension, the mixture is thoroughly mixed and left alone for 12-24 hours. After this period, the most effective dose for processing under production conditions is selected according to the degree of transparency and the nature of the precipitate. The optimal dose is the one that gives the best clarification with the most dense sediment and with the least amount of bentonite taken.

Example. To be processed 1000 gave wine material. Based on trial processing, the best dose was 8 ml per 200 ml of wine material, which corresponds to 20 g per 1 dal.

To carry out the processing of 1000 dal, 20 kg of dry bentonite or

5% wine-water suspension.

The commonly used doses of bentonite range from 2 to 5 g/l.

Preparation of a suspension of bentonite. To prepare a 20% aqueous suspension, bentonite, crushed into pieces weighing no more than 0.25 kg, is poured with hot water (not lower than 80 ° C) in an open container, and then heated with live steam for 2-4 hours using a rubber hose with a metal tip lowered to the bottom of the tank, or a coil. Then the mass is thoroughly stirred and left for a day to swell. The next day, stir again and, in case of incomplete swelling, steam again. The ratio between the amount of bentonite and water should be 1:4, i.e. 40 liters of water are added to 10 kg of bentonite. The bentonite suspension is passed through a wire sieve with 2-3 mm holes. Wine-water suspension is prepared immediately before wine processing. It is not recommended to store an aqueous suspension for more than 5 days.

The amount of aqueous suspension calculated from the test pasting is mixed with three times the volume of wine, i.e. 150 liters of wine are added to 50 liters of suspension. The resulting 5% suspension after thorough mixing is separated from mechanical impurities.

Wine or must processing. A 5% wine-water suspension is introduced into the wine or must with continuous stirring with a pump or a mechanical stirrer, which lasts 2-3 hours from the end of the introduction of the suspension, and left alone. Removal from the sediment is carried out after clarification of the wine with simultaneous filtration (preferably through diatomaceous earth).

Processing musts and wines with bentonite can be done in-line. In this case, powdered dry bentonite is introduced into the flow of wine or must using a special VLO-B dispenser in doses determined by trial processing. After that, the wine treated with bentonite enters the clarifier in the stream, where it is kept for 3-4 hours to clarify the bulk of the sediment. Then the wine goes to filtering on bag filters.

If necessary, bentonite treatment can be combined with gelatin pasting. In this case, bentonite is first added to the wine in the form of a 5% wine-water suspension, and then a gelatin solution.

Use of bentonite sediments. After draining the must or wine, bentonite sediments are collected for settling in groups (dry and fortified).

Precipitation from the wort is additionally sulphited with sulfur dioxide in doses of 400-600 mg/l, and then the settled wort is decanted and used for sulphitation of fresh wort during its settling or combined with previously clarified wort. Precipitation is again sulphited at a dose of 600 mg/l and additionally settled for 10 days, then the settled wort is again decanted. Thick sediments are pressed on a pakpress. Pressed wort is used to prepare concentrates. Wine sediments are settled. The clarified layer of wine is drained and used for blending. Thick sediments are also pressed on the pakpress. The resulting wine is filtered and used in blending.

It is very difficult to obtain tartaric lime from yeast with bentonite.

Bentonite as a stabilizing and clarifying agent is increasingly replacing traditional wine clarifiers - fish glue and gelatin. The surface of 1 g of bentonite is about 5 m 2 . The very small size of its particles and their peculiar spongy structure give bentonite a very strong sorption capacity.

But along with the positive qualities, bentonite has a number of properties that make it difficult to process wines: relatively large amounts of bentonite are needed for clarification; it must first be steamed; difficult to dose into wine; a lot of precipitation is formed, which is difficult to dispose of; it is difficult to stir in the whole mass of wine; sometimes bentonite gives the wine an earthy flavor or makes the wine prone to calcium haze.

The stabilizing properties of bentonite are most well manifested when it is completely swollen during the preparation of the suspension, therefore, each batch of bentonite must first be tested in laboratory conditions for swelling with water.

In industrial practice, cases of difficult filtration of wines are quite often observed, which causes rapid clogging of the filter, requires frequent recharging, increases the loss of wine and the consumption of filter plates. It is noted that difficult-to-filter wines are also poorly clarified during fining. Pavlov-Grishin recommends, in order to eliminate the causes of difficult filtration of young wines, preliminary light treatment of wine with bentonite (8-10 g / dal), closed filtration at a temperature of 35-40 ° C and filtration through diatomaceous earth.

The good quality of the wine is judged by its pleasant taste and transparency with a rich color. Slight turbidity is a sign of the unsuitability of the drink for consumption or unnatural composition. Wine is a living substance in which biochemical processes take place even during storage. Therefore, an alcoholic product is not capable of being crystal clear indefinitely. But it can be improved by periodically carrying out pasting at home, i.e. clarification of wine.

The concept of wine clarification

Clarification, also known as fining and gluing, is the stage of winemaking that cloudy wine must go through. When pasting into the drink, various products are introduced that can cause the settling of dense particles. Interacting with wine, protein and tannin compounds seem to stick together the dregs and form flakes from the particles. In a few days, they sink to the bottom of the dishes along with the smallest grains. As a result, alcohol is clarified.

Is it possible to arrange self-clarification for homemade wine? Yes, and for starters, the bottle is corked and taken out to a warm room. The appearance of bubbles indicates insufficient maturity of the product and the need for re-fermentation. To do this, it is kept in warm conditions, bottling and storing. The drink will become transparent during ripening.

If the matured wine remains cloudy, it means that not all suspended particles have precipitated. Pasting for this reason is carried out forcibly using gelatin, eggs, bentonite or casein. It is important not to overdo it here, because an excess of clarifier spoils the wine even more, and a small amount of an auxiliary substance does not give any effect.

Gluing wine in different ways

There are many methods of pasting in winemaking, and we will not describe each option in detail. Let's dwell on the simplest ways to clarify wine that are available for doing at home. Experts recommend cleaning red wines with egg white, and white varieties with tannin or gelatin.

Recipe with bentonite

Bentonite is a white clay. In gluing wines, it is used due to the absorbent properties of the substance. It looks like a fine-grained powder. To purify wine, bentonite is used in a proportion of 3 g per 1 liter of alcohol.

How to glue wine with bentonite:

1. Bentonite is soaked in water for 10-12 hours. The ratio of components is 1 part clay to 10 parts cold water.
2. During the infusion, bentonite turns into lime. It is diluted with water to a liquid creamy consistency and injected into the wine in a thin stream.
3. The updated product is removed from the thick after 5 to 7 days.

Quick milk dab

If clarification of grape wine with bentonite seems difficult, the procedure can be carried out using milk. The winemaker must take a fat-free cow product and add to a cloudy drink at the rate of 1 tsp. milk for 1 liter of wine. Hoppy can be drained from the sediment after 3 to 4 days.

Clarification of wine with tannin

It is good to tannin clean fruit wines, especially apple or pear wines. Tannin will add the missing astringency to the drinks and make them crystal clear. The substance is sold in a pharmacy.

To improve alcohol, tannin is diluted with water (5 g per 1 liter) and insisted. Then the solution is filtered and injected into cloudy wine, observing the proportion of 3 tbsp. l. infusion for every liter of intoxicating. Improved wine is removed from the sediment after a week.

Gelatin wine cleaning

It is customary to lighten plum and apple wines with gelatin. Previously, the product is soaked for a day in water (1.5 g per 10 l). The solution is poured into a bottle of wine and wait until the turbidity falls in flakes to the bottom. This happens in 2 weeks.

Like gelatin cleaning, the clarification of any wine is carried out using fish glue. Only the substance is taken in a different dosage - 0.2 - 0.5 g of fish glue is put on 10 liters of hoppy.

Egg variant

High-quality purification of red wines with a chicken egg occurs due to the interaction of protein with tannins, which abound in the composition of drinks. Consider how at home with the help of an egg you can clarify wine.

For 50 liters of hop products, you will need either 1 large or 2 medium-sized eggs. The protein is carefully separated from the yolk and whipped with a fork into foam, gradually adding boiled water (half a glass). The resulting mass is first combined with a small amount of wine. Then slowly pour the protein into the bottle. The contents of the jar are thoroughly mixed and allowed to stand for 2 weeks. A clear drink is drained from the sediment.

Outdoor wine clarification

You can clarify wine without the help of products and substances, since there are three more options for improving the drink:

1. Filtration through a thin cloth or special paper. The procedure is not ideal because it does not eliminate small particles. Cloth and paper retain only large particles.
2. Heat treatment of cloudy wine inhibits fermentation processes, causing microorganisms to die and settle from the thick to the bottom. The intoxicating becomes light.
3. Cryostabilization. In order for the particles that create turbidity to sink to the bottom, the wine is cooled to -2 or -5 ° C (table or non-fortified varieties). The drink is drained from the sediment and filtered cold.

Regardless of the clarification option chosen, the wine is additionally infused for 20-40 days. Long exposure is needed so that all microscopic particles that are invisible to the naked eye lie on the bottom.

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