Clearing Question

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Hi folks,

I've reached the bottling stage for my first wine - or at least I thought I had - I'd like your advice on a little bit of confusion I'm having.

I'm supposed to take a sample of the wine out to see if it's clear before I start bottling - so I did, put it in a wine glass and it looks crystal clear in the light (it's an RJ Spangols Strawberry White Zinfandel). But when I do the flashlight test in a darkened room I can see the beam.

For the moment I've put the airlock back on and I guess I'll try again in a few days time.

Is this a fairly common thing?

Do I absolutely wait until it passes the flashlight test or would it be okay to give a shot at bottling it today?

Scott
 
I've never tried the flashlight test. If it looks very clear and has been looking clear for some time, then I say bottle it. Dont know how long you've let it sit to clear, but after I rack once or twice and it doesn't settle out anymore, I bottle it up. Been successful so far with no sediment. But if your going to be kept up at night shining your flashlight in the bottles......cant hurt to wait.
 
Well I'm a newbie going by kit instructions so it's been 2 weeks clearing.

lol - It won't keep me up a night, not nearly enough intrigue :) - I had planned to bottle this weekend so had everything ready to go and then hit that point.

From my perspective it's reason to be cautious because for all intensive purposes it is clear - but fails this test. I have no experience to guide me as to whether this is a real problem or a false alarm.

It's good to hear that it probably wouldn't have been the end of the world if I had bottled it; but as it's my first crack at it, I'll wait a couple days and try again.

Thanks!
 
My experience is it cant hurt to wait a little longer, but with that said, I've never done a kit before either. I know many kits have fining agents and are meant to bottle a little quicker.
 
"By the book", so to speak, it should be ready in 4 weeks and there were some fining and clearing agents added a couple weeks ago

This weekend was the 4 week mark, but I'm gonna leave it for a few days - from all that I've read and heard, I can't see how this would harm it. Plus, we got hit a snow storm today and after all the shovelling...I'm no mood to go at it tonight. :)

Mid-week I'll give it a go, the bottles are cleaned and waiting - this is the last step.

...I'll just keep repeating the mantra - "haste makes waste", "haste makes waste", "haste makes waste"... :)

Much appriciated for the advice good sir.
 

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