| No wine fining agent is 100% specific in what it | | | | have been used for wine fining: ox blood, egg |
| does. As well as fining out phenolics (tannins), wine | | | | whites, milk casein, isinglass which is prepared |
| fining agents typically take out some aroma and | | | | from the swim bladders of certain fish, horse |
| flavor. Whichever wine fining agent is selected, | | | | gelatins, seaweed, and clay, to name a few. |
| winemakers will use as little as necessary to | | | | Almost any protein will work at least somewhat, |
| produce the quality of red or white wine that is | | | | by binding to other proteins and forming solid |
| required. | | | | deposits. |
| Free run juice typically contains very low levels of | | | | Wineries use industrial filtration machines and wine |
| phenolics. Phenolics originate in the grape berry | | | | fining agent chemical additives both organic and |
| and affect taste, bitterness, astringency and color. | | | | inorganic to precipitate out suspended solids, no |
| They are the key wine preservative and basis of | | | | matter how small, to clarify wine before bottling |
| long aging. Free run juice is not in contact with | | | | or long term storage. |
| skins or seeds for any length of time and, | | | | Probably the best known commercial wine fining |
| therefore, does not pick up any of the undesirable | | | | agents are mixtures of pure inorganic bentonite, |
| phenolic substances. | | | | aluminum silicate clay from Wyoming, quite |
| "Press fraction" of juice is phenolic rich and | | | | popular among Californian wineries, and |
| typically harder, sometimes more bitter, will age | | | | polyvinyl-polypyrrolidone or PVPP, used to fine |
| far more quickly, and usually makes a lower | | | | white juices. Activated carbon is sometimes used |
| quality wine when compared to wine made from | | | | to strip the color out of Pinot noir juices for |
| free run juice. The wines are simply combined; | | | | sparkling wine production. |
| the two juices are mixed and fermented | | | | All the particles clouding up wine have an electrical |
| together. | | | | charge. Positively charged wine fining agents like |
| The finished wines are subjected to processes | | | | gelatin, Claro K.C. and Sparkolloid, attract |
| that strip out the phenolics. This process is called | | | | negatively charged particles, binding with them, |
| wine fining. | | | | making them too heavy to float. They then sink |
| Wine is supposed to be very clear and completely | | | | to the bottom, leaving the wine free of any |
| free of any suspended particles, so wine makers | | | | cloudiness and brilliantly clear. The wine may also |
| go to great lengths to clarify it. Wine fining agents | | | | be allowed to sit still for long periods so the solids |
| typically are natural proteins or substances that | | | | that have fallen to the bottom can be racked out. |
| have been synthesized (the process of producing | | | | Clear wine is then siphoned off from the top, |
| a chemical compound) to mimic the action of | | | | leaving the sediment at the bottom of the tank |
| proteins. | | | | or barrel. |
| Through winemaking history, a variety of agents | | | | |