Quick question...Beaverdale kit

[Mr.Everready]

The instruactions say...

7. Fermentation will be complete when hardly any bubbles are going through the airlock (less than one per minute). Check the wine with a hydrometer, and taste it. If it is too sweet allow it to continue.

Red Wines 990-994 White/Rose Wines 990-996
A hydrometer reading should be the same for three continuous days, if in doubt leave for a further period, it will do the wine no harm at all. Once you are sure the fermentation is complete add the sachet of Stabiliser (this gives off a gas when mixed with the wine, do not inhale this), shake the container for 3 or 4 minutes to remove the carbon dioxide gases. This should be repeated several times (at least 3 times a day for the next 3-4 days). The more this is done the easier it will be to clear the wine.

8. The wine should now have the finings added. Add the sachet of Kieselsol to the container, shake for 10 seconds to mix, replace cap and leave for 24 hours. Now add the Chitosan to the container, shake for 10 seconds to mix, and replace cap. Leave in a cool place to clear. The wine should be clear in 3-7 days, dependant on the conditions it could be before this. Finings work best if they are lightly mixed in (folded in).

9. When the wine is clear, it should be carefully syphoned off

It doesn't say to rack the wine before adding the stabiliser or finings. Should I follw the instructions or rack before I add the stabiliser ?

 

[Moley]

Assuming that this will only have been working for a couple of weeks, it won't have had much chance to drop or compact a sediment and your volume losses on racking could be significant, so it's probably best not to bother.

You could leave it for another couple of weeks, rack and then stabilise, or go for it now and follow the instructions.

Which variety are you making?
(That's just out of curiosity and wouldn't change my answer).

 

[Mr.Everready]

It's the 6 bottle sauvignon blanc. Trying it so see if it's any good.

It's been in the dj for over 2 weeks now and the gravity is 993 iirc and it seems to have cleared an awful lot. Seems strange that it's quite clear and I need to shake it all up again :lol:

If you think it's best to follow the instructions I'll do that, get the stabiliser in tonight and start the degassing over the next few days.

 

[Moley]

Well the variety doesn't change my answer, but if it has had longer than its minimum and has already cleared an awful lot, then I would rack first.

 

[Mr.Everready]

I've finished de gassing my wine but it seems the wife has thrown out the sachets of Kieselsol and Chitosan.

So, what can I use instead of these ? I have normal Richies wine finings, can I just add that and leave it ?
As it is the wine is very clear anyway.

 

[Moley]

If the wine's pretty well clear anyway, you could just leave it to nature, another couple of weeks would probably be all it needs.

Otherwise, any wine finings would be suitable.

 

[Mr.Everready]

So is Kieselsol and Chitosan both finings ?

I did rack the wine last week so it looks very clear now, I'll just put the DJ down into the garage for a couple of weeks. After that I'll decide whether to filter it or not.

 

[Moley]

So is Kieselsol and Chitosan both finings ?

Look, I'm sorry, I know it's still early evening, but you're on your own with this one.

I'm cooking, with wine, but none of it has yet touched the food :drunk:

Finings generally work by some sort of electrical charge plus gravity. I really CBA to google which is which right now, but if you add some negatively charged ions (or could be positive) they attract the yeasty paticles, then gravity will bring them down, or if you then add some positively charged ions (or could be negative) the bonded yeasty particles then go “whoomph!” and nearly take the bottom out of the DJ.

One-shot isinglass finings will clear fairly quickly. Chitosan + kieselsol (or vice versa) is a DJ bottom smasher.

 

[Duncs]

I've finished de gassing my wine but it seems the wife has thrown out the sachets of Kieselsol and Chitosan.

So, what can I use instead of these ? I have normal Richies wine finings, can I just add that and leave it ?
As it is the wine is very clear anyway.

The exact same thing happened to me with the exact same kit (although she insists that I lost the sachets) I left it to clear on its own for about a month then racked and degassed and bottled. it's a nice wine, I think I've still got a bottle of it left somewhere