vegetarian fineings

[forgotten]

hello



my misses is a vegetarian and i have been trying to find new ways of fining my wine without using isinglass (spell?? too lazy to go and find bottle) i use bentonite which is great stuff and ofcourse vegetarian but other than gelotine which again is a no go??


so any others out there??

[NorthernWiner]

Sparkolloid is another option, since it's made from diatomaceous earth.

[Cellar_Rat]

I am guessing that vegetarians can eat eggs, if so egg white (only) can be used. In fact it is the only fining used in great Burgundies.

It is the only fining I use and have always found it 100% successful.

[spritzer]

I am guessing that vegetarians can eat eggs, if so egg white (only) can be used. In fact it is the only fining used in great Burgundies.

It is the only fining I use and have always found it 100% successful.

Vegetarians do eat free range eggs, so egg whites, from those could be used.
(vegans dont eat eggs)

[Mamgiowl]

I've tried egg whites but didn't find it worked that well. I always use bentonite now.

[NorthernWiner]

Egg whites are used in mostly red wines for their tannin softening properties. It helps give Burgundy that velvety texture in the mouth.

[Rich]

Egg whites are used in mostly red wines for their tannin softening properties. It helps give Burgundy that velvety texture in the mouth.

That's interesting. My Merlot from '09 is still very tannic and harsh, also not had any finnings in yet.

How many egg whites for a 5 gallon batch, and is there a special procedure for adding them, time left in, racking etc.

[Cellar_Rat]

there is ...


After researching various recommendations the dose is 1 egg white per carboy [54 litres] .. so make this up and half it.

Since egg white contains both albumens (soluble in water) and globulin (insoluble), a bit of salt is necessary.

Process
A small pinch of table salt should be added to a cup or so of warm water. One part egg-white should be mixed with two parts salt water.

The mixture should be stirred thoroughly before being added to the wine, but NOT beaten to a stiff froth.

Add the egg-white mixture to the wine slowly and stir continuously. The wine should be racked in a week or so.

The optimum temperature is 10 to 25˚C. It Works best in the lower part of the range.

Contra-indications: Tannins are attracted to the albumen because their surface electrical charge has been removed. The wine becomes temporarily cloudy during the clearing and everything settles. There can be v slight loss of colour.

I have used this most sucessfully (on red grape wine)

[Darren]

Hi i try not to use any finings at all on my wines (apart from the kits) all my other wine is left to clear on its own. The oh is a vegetarian so she prefers to drink my wine without any finings in i do use bentonite but nothing else i would suggest just to leave them to clear on there own attached is a xmas pudding wine(dessert wine in the new winemakers no 4) it had bentonite in at the start but no finings have been added

[fatbloke]

Hi i try not to use any finings at all on my wines (apart from the kits) all my other wine is left to clear on its own. The oh is a vegetarian so she prefers to drink my wine without any finings in i do use bentonite but nothing else i would suggest just to leave them to clear on there own attached is a xmas pudding wine(dessert wine in the new winemakers no 4) it had bentonite in at the start but no finings have been added

Not very clear is it......

Dunno about "read a newspaper through it", I suspect you could look down the lens of a microscope through that.

Very impressive......

regards

jtfb

[silverfox]

Hi, Forgotten
Re Veg. Finings
The Wife is Vegetarian & I make all her wines.
I do not use Finings unless I have to or if I want a kit for early drinking.
There are quite a few finings out there for you to use depending on what you want to achieve & what you are fining.
I use Bentonite at the begging of the wine making process this help a lot.
Skimmed milk at the end for White with too much astringency 10ml/litre
Silicic acid & Kieselguhr (2 part finings)for kits
Charcoal (but strips too much out of the wine)
Perlite (From Harris Filter )
Hope this helps.
I have lots of info. of Fining somewhere but can't find it at the moment
Let me know what recipe you used & I will find the best Finings to use.

Thanks Silverfox