r/winemaking • u/Complex_Sherbet2 • Aug 22 '26
Fruit wine question First batch of plum wine
This run has already been treated with sparklloid AND Bentonite... I assume this is pectic haze and I need to do the double dose of pectic enzyme.
My question is should I rack it now to move the current sludge and bentonite, or can I just remove some wine, stir in the pectic enzyme and then return it to carboy with a slight stir and only rack once more after.
Recipie is orange/red plums only, champagne yeast, pectic enzyme, sugar
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u/OliverHolsfield Aug 22 '26
Pectic enzyme doesn’t work well in the presence of ethanol. Ideally it’s added to the fruit before the start of fermentation. I know this doesn’t help your current batch, sorry. If you do add it now, use like 5 times more than you normally would.
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u/Complex_Sherbet2 Aug 22 '26
I did add pectic enzyme (3/4 tsp for 1 1/3 gallons)... I guess not enough.
5 times?? I see other say for post-fermentation treatment to use double pectic enzyme... Is there a downside to using too much (more than needed to do the job)?
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u/OliverHolsfield Aug 23 '26
Not really, within reason. You don’t want to be able to taste it obviously. Double is probably fine, I don’t tend to measure anymore and I probably use way more than I need to. If you added the enzyme then it’s maybe not a pectin haze. I know I’m not helping (still) but why clear it any further? It’s pretty cute right now and I’d be happy with the results. You might strip more than just the haze if you try too hard ie. colour, flavour, aroma
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u/Gentleman_Bronc0 Aug 23 '26
I made a few different fruit wines this year; Blackberry, Boysenberry, Raspberry/ Petite Syrah, and Plum/Mulberry. It is the Plum/Mulberry that will not clear at all. Must just be something in Plums.
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u/Complex_Sherbet2 Sep 03 '26
I won't post the pic again, but take a look at the opacity now after just 11 days and a 2x dose of enzyme!
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u/Wine_Maker_68 Aug 23 '26 edited Aug 23 '26
After raking it off any sediment the first thing I would do is try cold crashing with some betonite even if you used it already at fermentation. If that doesn't remove the haze the next step is gelatin or egg whites. If that doesn't make it crystal clear then the next step would be chitosan.
After those steps if that wine isn't crystal clear I would be shocked and would get the Polyclar/PVPP out. That covers all the bases and those steps will result in a crystal clear wine in the end.
Also there are $30 .2 micron filters on Amazon that you can get for a standard 10" filter housing to get any residual fining agent out that survived racking and the wine will be sterile. Check the SO2 level if you are able, make sure it is above 30 ppm or dose for 30 ppm regardless and bottle.
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u/Bright_Storage8514 Aug 22 '26 edited Aug 22 '26
You should rack it off the sludge. You don’t want to leave the fining agents sitting as lees for too long. Plus, you’re not going to be able to get the pectic enzyme in the carboy without stirring up the lees. Might as well rack it off and have a clean start.
Edit to add: it very likely is pectic haze, which can take a long time to clear. I have 9 gallons of Mango wine in 3 carboys. I added the double dose to only one of the carboys about 6 months ago. It’s not fully clear but it’s noticeably less hazy than the other two. It works, but I wouldn’t expect to start seeing results for a few months.