Epically Cloudy Wine

[ProfSudz]

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So about 2 months ago I decided to get into the fruit wine game. Started out with vintner's harvest purees. I pitched one pack per 1 gallon of cote des blancs.

I now have a situation where all 3 1 gallon batches are nice and clear on top, and very cloudy - very cloudy - on the bottom half. I suspect this is due to over pitching yeast, but I thought I would check with y'all.

Hit it with Super-Kleer KCs a day ago and the thick mass isn't moving.

A) Is this due to too much yeast

B) Is there anything to be done?

 

[Kdog22]

I'm pretty sure that the "thick mass" on the bottom is a combination of yeast sediment and fruit pulp settled out which can be normal. I don't think you overpitched the yeast at all. 1 pack of yeast for just one gallon of wine is perfectly fine. Time to rack into a new carboy. Or, if the fermentation is complete and your gravity readings are stable, you could just bottle from there.

 

[ProfSudz]

So if I rack this to another 1 gallon jug, am I going to be left with 3/5 of a 1 gallon jug?

 

[Kdog22]

So if I rack this to another 1 gallon jug, am I going to be left with 3/5 of a 1 gallon jug?

Unfortunately, yes. That'll leave alot of headspace in your secondary, too, which you don't want. If the gravity readings are stable and you can be careful, i'd probably just rack into your bottles so you don't have to worry about headspace in the next jug. Just my $.02

 

[Yooper]

So if I rack this to another 1 gallon jug, am I going to be left with 3/5 of a 1 gallon jug?

Yes. I'd rack to a smaller jug- say, a beer growler size. I wouldn't bottle yet, as I think it will still drop more lees. You could bottle it, though, if you don't mind sediment in your bottles.

 

[ProfSudz]

Ok, well is there anything I can do in the future to minimize this problem? I used some pectic enzyme but maybe it wasn't enough. Or if I wait 6 months will the lees form a more compact cake at the bottom? I would be worried about autolysis leaving it with this much dropped yeast for that long however.

 

[Yooper]

Ok, well is there anything I can do in the future to minimize this problem? I used some pectic enzyme but maybe it wasn't enough. Or if I wait 6 months will the lees form a more compact cake at the bottom? I would be worried about autolysis leaving it with this much dropped yeast for that long however.

Oh, I think the pectin enzyme DID work! That's why you have a clear wine, with tons of sediment below.

I have a photo of a plum wine I did recently. I did a 7 day primary, and then racked to the carboy. After about a week- look at this sediment! I have alot of wines/ciders to rack that day- it's the pink one with the yellowish/pink sediment.




And this is what it started like:


Anyway, you can see that an extraordinary amount of sediment isn't abnormal! It happens with fruits with lots of pectin.