Page 17 - Grapevine NovDec 2020

In The Winery

used to remove browning in wines and pre-cursers attributes to their wines with a small 1.0 pound
to browning or brighten up a pink wine. This agent per 1000 gallons even if no bentonite is needed
also helps remove bitterness in some wines. Most for heat stability. Heat stability is very important
often used on wines but some also fine juices with for your wines so consumers are not turned off by
PVPP especially on compromised or moldy grapes. your label if your wine should throw a protein haze.
Range of use is between 0.5 and 5 pounds per 1000 Give serious consideration and test all of your white
gallons and wines must be filtered prior to bottling. and light red wines for heat stability.

Bentonite: This is a widely used fining agent to Sparkloid: This agent “fell out of fashion” about
achieve protein or heat stability in white, blush and two decades ago but it is back strong. Try trials
light Rose wines. Bentonite is a clay mined in areas with this agent to get that extra sparkle in the clar-
of the world that contain high quality pockets of ity for your wine. Technically a Polysaccharide and
these materials. Some bentonite is sodium based it is extracted from the cell wall of brown algae.
and other are calcium based bentonites. Calcium This agent is soft on color removal but enhances
bentonite is used often in sparkling wines as a rid- clarity and filtration. Most winemakers use this
dling aid but most wineries use the sodium based agent in the 0.5 to 4 pounds per 1000 gallons and
bentonites in there typical winemaking regimes. staying in the lower ranges.
Trials with bentonite may be used to determine the
amount needed to achieve heat stability. Using The above are not by any means the only fining
bentonite up to 5 pounds per 1000 gallons shows agents used in the wine business but they are per-
minimal stripping and some varietals of wine may haps the most commonly used. Many winemak-
need upwards of 10.0 pound per 1000 gallons. ers are starting to move away from fining agents,
Conversely some wines may not need any ben- agents that remove things, to adding agents and
tonite although some winemakers see improved building their wines. With better fruit maturity

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