After fermentation of homemade wine, the consistency often remains cloudy due to particles of must, cream of tartar and yeast. Before bottling the drink, it is recommended to clarify it. Many different substances are used for this procedure, and a common option is to clarify the wine using gelatin.
The principle of clarification of wine with gelatin
The process of wine clarification, also called fining, involves binding unwanted particles and then converting them into sediment. This is possible due to the content of tannins and protein compounds in gelatin.When interacting with an alcoholic drink, the compounds form large flakes from small particles that can settle to the bottom of the container within a couple of days. As a result, the wine becomes cleaner and acquires a transparent or translucent consistency.
Purifying wine at home is considered a labor-intensive procedure, but it plays a significant role, since a pure product has a higher quality index. At the same time, there is always a risk of spoiling the quality of the product.
When clarifying an alcoholic drink, it is important to adhere to the required amount of clarifier, since a lack of it will lead to a poor result, and exceeding the dosage will spoil the wine and worsen its original characteristics.
Advantages and disadvantages of the method
The spread of the method of clarifying wine with gelatin is associated with a large number of positive aspects. The list of main advantages of the procedure includes the following:
- Clarifying home-made wine removes unwanted accumulations and gives the alcoholic drink a clear structure.
- As a result of fining, the maximum shelf life of the product is extended. It is important to ensure favorable storage conditions, including suitable temperature, humidity and protection from exposure to ultraviolet rays.
- The procedure helps to comprehensively get rid of all impurities, regardless of the nature of their origin. As a result of clarification, wort particles, yeast, tartar residues and other undesirable components precipitate.
The ability to clarify an alcoholic drink also has several disadvantages. The main disadvantage is the risk of spoiling the wine and making it worse than it was before the procedure.In addition, to obtain the required result, it is often necessary to carry out pasting several times, which takes a lot of time and effort.
How to Apply Brightener
Finishing wine at home requires a responsible approach. To avoid mistakes when cleaning the drink, you need to follow the step-by-step instructions. Before starting the procedure, you need to make sure that the drink with a cloudy consistency is sufficiently matured. To do this, the bottle is sealed and left in a dark place. If after a couple of days bubbles form inside, it means the wine needs ripening. When ripening and the presence of turbidity, cleaning is carried out forcibly in the following way:
- For 10 liters of wine, take 0.5-2 g of natural gelatin and pre-soak it for a couple of hours in five times the amount of cold water. Soaking for a day helps improve the effect of the procedure, but during this period you need to change the water 2-3 times.
- When the gelatin is infused, boiling water is added to it in a proportion equal to cold water, after which the mixture is thoroughly mixed. The result should be a homogeneous solution without lumps and with a temperature of about 35-40 degrees.
- Place a funnel on the container with wine and gradually add the gelatin solution, pouring in a thin stream and stirring the drink periodically. The wine is then poured into a tightly sealed container and kept in a cool place for a couple of weeks.
- The consistency of the alcoholic drink is checked and the sediment is removed, after which it is sent for further aging.
The result of the procedure depends on the initial consistency of the drink and the raw materials. As a rule, apple wine is easier to clean than plum wine.The final result is also influenced by the cooking technology and a number of third-party factors.
Precautionary measures
Before clearing wine with gelatin, it is recommended to make trial attempts. This will help calculate the exact amount of the substance and predict in advance the result of the procedure. It is important not to experiment with a large volume of alcoholic beverage at once, as this may lead to a deterioration in the quality of the product.
Having weighed all the risks and advantages of clarifying homemade wine, you need to take into account that the procedure will help make the drink beautiful and transparent, and will also extend the shelf life, but will not affect the taste characteristics.
Therefore, deciding whether to clean wine should be based solely on personal wishes for the appearance of the product. In fact, clarification is not a necessary stage in preparing the drink.
Possible mistakes
The main mistake when performing glazing is adding gelatin too early. First, the wine must be aged for 3-5 months, after which the drink must be removed from the sediment and looked at its consistency.
If there is a cloudy structure and you need to achieve transparency, then you can begin cleansing.
A significant mistake is also using the wrong amount of clarifier. Violation of the recommended dosage leads to damage to the product or lack of results.
After purifying an alcoholic drink, you need to keep it for at least another month. As a rule, it is only partially possible to immediately notice a change in consistency, since it takes time for unwanted particles to precipitate.
