How to Cure Pectic Haze in Wine Making
The most common cause of haze in wine, especially fruit wine, is caused by pectin. Pectin is a natural carbohydrate that occurs in fruit and is used to thicken jelly and other products. If you boil the fruit initially to get better color or flavor for your wine, pectin haze is even more likely. You can add pectic enzyme at the beginning of fermentation to avoid pectic haze. In addition, many times you can clear a hazy wine by adding the pectic enzyme after fermentation, although prevention is the better solution. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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Preventing Pectin Haze in Wine
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Mix your wine must as called for in the wine recipe, but do not add the yeast. Make sure the temperature of your wine must is at least 80 degrees Fahrenheit.
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Stir in one teaspoon of pectic enzyme per gallon of must. Be aware that some fruit wine recipes may require more pectic enzyme. Read the pectic enzyme label and your wine recipe carefully and add the recommended amount. Cover the must and keep it at 80 degrees Fahrenheit.
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Wait at least 12 hours, and add the yeast to the must. Continue the winemaking process as usual after this step. The pectin haze should not occur in the finished wine.
Clearing Pectin Haze in Wine
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Siphon one cup of wine with a wine thief for every gallon of wine you have into a sterilized container. Stir in one teaspoon of pectic enzyme per cup. Keep the container at 80 degrees Fahrenheit for four hours, stirring every hour.
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Sterilize a piece of muslin cloth and strain the siphoned wine back into the rest of the wine. Stir well.
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Keep the wine at 70 degrees Fahrenheit for at least four days until the pectin haze clears. If the haze does not clear it may not be caused by pectin.
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Tips & Warnings
You can add pectic enzyme during the crushing of your fruit to extract more juice and flavor.
If you use pectic enzyme powder, dissolve it in water before adding it to the wine.
You can test to see if wine haze is caused by pectin by adding one ounce of wine to three ounces of methylated spirit. If a white jelly or sediment forms, the haze is pectic haze.
If you want to clear your wine with bentonite clay, wait a few days after adding pectic enzyme before adding the bentonite. This gives the enzyme a chance to work.
Make sure to sanitize any equipment or containers that come into contact with your wine.
References
Resources
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