Clarifying wine with bentonite at home: step by step instructions, proportions

Before filling the bottles with wine after a long exposure, it is recommended to clarify it. To do this, you can use not only tannin, gelatin, chicken egg protein, but also bentonite. After fermentation, the drink is characterized by the presence of particles of must, tartar, yeast in it, which make the product cloudy. This problem can be solved by clarifying wine with bentonite, which absorbs unwanted substances, causing them to precipitate.

What is bentonite

Wine bentonite is a refined natural material that has absorbent properties.It is used for clarification, purification of wort, as it is able to increase the settling rate of turbid particles, absorb oxidizing enzymes, remove microorganisms and reduce protein volume. Chemically neutral substance does not react with the material from which the container is made, where the wine is aged, as well as with its contents.

Advantages and disadvantages of bentonite in wine clarification

The main positive aspects of bentonite are determined by its increased absorbent properties, which:

• purify the wort from foreign impurities;
• reduce iron content;
• eliminate all nasty odors;
• provide taste and aftertaste that is characteristic of a particular grape variety;
• prolong the shelf life of the alcoholic product.

The list of advantages also includes the low cost of the material and its low consumption: for pasting 1 liter of wine, you need only 3 g of purified clay.

There are certain restrictions on the use of the product: when the mash is infused on fruits and grains, since excessive viscosity interferes with distillation. It is also important to properly dispose of the residue. To do this, pack it in a plastic bag, seal it tightly and throw it in a trash can to avoid blockage in the sewer.

Where to buy and how to choose the right one

Online stores offer to order wine bentonite. It is a crushed fine-grained powder that is ready for use. You can find out how to use it by reading the instructions that come with the package.

You can also use white clay purchased at a pharmacy or beauty salon. Only when buying it is it important to choose a product that does not have a pronounced smell.

Winemakers also buy clay from pet stores, which is intended for cat litter. The product is less purified and has a masking smell that is unacceptable for a wine drink. Usually it is used to lighten the home brew in simple home brewing.

Advice! To purify the wine, while maintaining its taste, color, it is better to give preference to quality products bought in a specialized store.

Calculation of proportions

When buying ready-made powder, you must strictly follow the step-by-step instructions:

1. Dilute 10 grams of dry powder in 10 liters of water.
2. Let it brew for 12 hours to swell.
3. Dilute with water to make the composition liquid.
4. Pour the prepared solution into the funnel that appears.
5. Set aside the wine for infusion for 7 days.
6. Drain the drink without touching the sediment and put into bottles.

Store the product in a dry, odor-free environment.

How to use bentonite for lightening at home

The high quality of an alcoholic beverage is judged by its exquisite taste, rich color and transparency. Turbidity is considered a sign of the unsuitability of the product for consumption. Therefore, clarification with bentonite will help to improve it at home, for this it is worth considering all the features and nuances of the procedure.

How to lighten mash

To get high-quality moonshine without unnecessary impurities and fusel oils, you should properly process the mash. Therefore, to cleanse it and make it transparent, you must follow the following step-by-step instructions:

1. Take 1 tbsp. l. bentonite and pour 1 tbsp. water. Send the composition to the stove for heating, without bringing to a boil, stirring constantly.
2. As soon as a consistency in the form of liquid sour cream has formed, remove from heat and allow the solution to cool for 15 minutes. It is important to make sure that there are no lumps, if there are any, use a blender.
3. Stir the mash with a slotted spoon until a funnel appears and gently, slowly add the absorbent mass to distribute it evenly. Leave for 24 hours at room conditions.
4. Drain the mash from the sediment using a thin tube.
5. Distill alcohol product.

The advantage of this cleaning option is that it is natural, effective and easy to use.

Wine clarification

Wine gluing is performed at any stage, this allows you to correct mistakes made during the preparation of the product.

The sequence of clarification of not only red, but also white wines with bentonite:

1. Combine white clay with water in a ratio of 1:10.
2. Let infuse for 12 hours. During this time, the composition will take the form of lime.
3. Before clarifying, it is recommended to add water to the bentonite to make the composition watery.
4. Add to grape must in a thin stream.
5. Drain without affecting the sediment after 7 days and fill bottles with wine.

Recommendation! After the processes done, it is better to leave the wine for another 30-40 days. During this period, the drink will become even clearer and cleaner.

Possible problems

Only experienced winemakers can make fine wine with a refined taste and unique aroma. Often, even adhering to all the rules, you can encounter certain difficulties. After clarification, the wine may remain cloudy, so that this does not happen, you need to know a few nuances:

• trial clean 300 ml of drink so as not to spoil the whole product;
• use only high-quality raw materials for tasting wine;
• if fermentation processes occur after the procedure, it is recommended to lower the temperature in the room where the wine is placed to 10 ˚C.

It is also important to correctly calculate the dose of absorbent and properly dilute the composition so that it completely absorbs particles of raw materials.

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