Instructions on how to clarify wine with bentonite at home

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

What is bentonite

Wine bentonite is a purified natural material that has absorbent properties. It is used for clarification and purification of wort, as it is able to increase the rate of sedimentation of turbid particles, absorb oxidative enzymes, remove microorganisms and reduce the volume of protein. The chemically neutral substance does not react with the material from which the container where the wine is aged is made, 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 are:

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

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

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

Where can you buy and how to choose correctly

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

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

Winemakers also buy clay from pet stores, which is intended for cat litter. The product is less purified and has a masking odor that is unacceptable for a wine drink. It is usually used to clarify mash during simple moonshine brewing.

Advice! To clean wine while preserving its taste and color, it is better to give preference to quality products purchased in a specialized store.

Calculation of proportions

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

1. Dilute 10 grams of dry powder per 10 liters of water.
2. Let sit for 12 hours to swell.
3. Dilute with water until the composition becomes liquid.
4. Pour the prepared solution into the funnel that appears.
5. Set aside the wine to infuse for 7 days.
6. Drain the drink without touching the sediment and pack into bottles.

The product must be stored in dry rooms without foreign odors.

How to use bentonite for lightening at home

The high quality of an alcoholic drink is judged by its exquisite taste, rich color and transparency. Turbidity is considered a sign that the product is unfit for consumption. Therefore, clarification with bentonite will help improve it at home; for this it is worth taking into account 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 clean 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 mixture to the stove to heat, without bringing to a boil, stirring constantly.
2. As soon as the consistency of liquid sour cream has formed, remove from heat and allow the solution to cool for 15 minutes. It is important to make sure there are no lumps; if there are any, use a blender.
3. Using a slotted spoon, stir the mash until a funnel appears and carefully, 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 straw.
5. Distill the alcoholic product.

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

Clarification of wine

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

The sequence of action for clarifying not only red, but also white wines with bentonite:

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

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

Possible problems

Only experienced winemakers can make exquisite wine with a refined taste and unique aroma. Often, even if you adhere to all the rules, you may encounter certain difficulties. After clarification, the wine may remain cloudy; to prevent this from happening, you need to know a few nuances:

• test clean 300 ml of the drink so as not to spoil the entire product;
• Use only high-quality raw materials for fining 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 the particles of the raw material.