Sep 2003
What are all those packages - Part I
September, 2003 Filed in: Wine making
What are those packages Have you ever wondered about the purpose of the various Additive Packages in your kit? Well read on and you will find out. Over the next few months we will discuss each in more detail.
This month, bentonite.
You have heard the expression “Here is mud in your eye” when someone offers up a cheers. I wonder if they had bentonite in mind when they came up with that expression, because that is in fact what bentonite is. More specifically it is a naturally occurring clay that is collected in Saskatchewan, Wyoming and in the Great Lakes states.
It is added in the Primary (the plastic pail), to act as a finings agent. Fining is the fancy name for the clearing process for wine. Bentonite has a significant negative electrical charge and therefore it can effectively remove positively charge sediment or particles in your wine.
It is added in the primary because bentonite also serves another purpose in that it acts as a site for yeast cells to begin fermentation. This helps insure a good healthy start to fermentation and without it fermentation would be slower.
Adding too much bentonite to your wine can remove some of the colour, a particular problem in red wine. A sure sign of an inferior kit is one that does not include bentonite or includes elderberries to overcome the colour loss in inferior red juice.
Next month... Potassium sorbate
This month, bentonite.
You have heard the expression “Here is mud in your eye” when someone offers up a cheers. I wonder if they had bentonite in mind when they came up with that expression, because that is in fact what bentonite is. More specifically it is a naturally occurring clay that is collected in Saskatchewan, Wyoming and in the Great Lakes states.
It is added in the Primary (the plastic pail), to act as a finings agent. Fining is the fancy name for the clearing process for wine. Bentonite has a significant negative electrical charge and therefore it can effectively remove positively charge sediment or particles in your wine.
It is added in the primary because bentonite also serves another purpose in that it acts as a site for yeast cells to begin fermentation. This helps insure a good healthy start to fermentation and without it fermentation would be slower.
Adding too much bentonite to your wine can remove some of the colour, a particular problem in red wine. A sure sign of an inferior kit is one that does not include bentonite or includes elderberries to overcome the colour loss in inferior red juice.
Next month... Potassium sorbate