Pectic Enzyme and what brand yeast to use

[JOHNWALDNER95]

Hi everyone . I've been brewing for 3 years now with some success (not lately though). So when I first started I used around 2 pounds of fruit per gallon and I had some really clear and good tasting wine. I've always used pectic enzyme and yeast nutrient but for the past 2 years now I've decided that my wine needs more flavor so now I'm going with 3 pounds of fruit per gallon. However my wine is not very clear anymore. It seems to stay hazy which I didn't have a problem with at the start with less fruit. I've always added pectic enzyme according to the suppliers instructions but I'm wondering if maybe I need to add more now that I'm putting more fruit in. Is there a certain amount to add per pound of fruit or something like that.
I have some wine that is over a year old already and still cloudy . I'm wondering if I add pectic enzyme to that if that will clear it up some.
Also I've thought that maybe the yeast is not right. I use Lalvin wine yeast ,mostly the EC-1118 but I have used other lavlvin as well like the RC212. How do you guys decide which yeast to use?

 

[fluketamer]

yes more pectic enzyme. i think on the bottle of enzyme i have it says 1 tsp per 10 lbs of fruit which seems to agree with google. but have you tried bentonite it will clear most wines to crystal clarity.

also as a rule of thumb never bottle your wines til they rack clear. ie use bentonite or some such agent than rack and then bottle to leave behind as much sediment as possible.

 

[JOHNWALDNER95]

The packages pectic enzyme I have says 4tsp/23 litres which I follow but I just made some choke cherry/sour cherry wine and I added more than what the supplier recommends. Il see how that goes.

I have heard or bentonite but I haven't used it yet .I have to go out and buy some so I figured maybe if pectic does the same thing then I would use it since I have some of that. I'm just worried about ruining the finished wine if I add it at this point.

 

[JOHNWALDNER95]

when you buy pectic enzyme, yeast nutrient and yeast is that all supposed to be refridgerated till you use it?

 

[fluketamer]

i keep my enzymes and nutrients at room temp. the yeast i keep in the fridge like everyone else. some people freeze there yeast.
i dont think the bentonite will ruin the finished wine.

the pectinase and bentonite are different,. pectinase breaks down pectin the thickener that makes jellies and jams. its a protein that can cloud up your wine.

bentonite will remove all solids by binding to them and making them heavier so gravity can pull them out of the wine quicker.

i think - lol

 

[Raptor99]

Bentonite will also remove the pectic enzyme, so wait long enough for the pectic enzyme to work before adding bentonite. Bentonite won't remove pectin haze, so you need to do the pectic enzyme first.

For most fruit wines, I suggest that you use at least 5 lbs. of fruit per gallon. (By that I mean 5 lbs. of fruit along with enough water to bring the total volume to 1 gallon.)

 

[JOHNWALDNER95]

So basically it wont work to just used the pectic enzyme to clear the haze . I need to use bentonite to?

 

[fluketamer]

in a sense pectinase alone will work becasue doing nothing will work.

it just takes time. if you want to speed it up add bentonite or similar agent

i found this cool chart on wine finning agents
https://winemakersdepot.com/Fining-Agents-Cheat-Sheet

 

[D the Catastrophist]

I use pectic enzyme, 1 tsp per gallon(and I have used up to 6 lbs of fruit in a 1 gallon recipe). I don't refrigerate it, but it is kept in a cool, dark area.
I make sure to add at least 24 hrs before I add the yeast as I have read that it works best without Alcohol present.
Never used bentonite or other fining agents as I bulk age until clear before bottling (usually bottling at upwards of 6 months, some close to a year).
I like k1 yeast as it has a wide range of temperature and abv tolerances and works well with fruit wines. I like to run my fermentation at close to the bottom of the tolerance range which, combined with doing higher abv, results in longer primary- 3 weeks is typical for me.
Yeast is kept in the fridge until used.

 

[JOHNWALDNER95]

I use pectic enzyme, 1 tsp per gallon(and I have used up to 6 lbs of fruit in a 1 gallon recipe). I don't refrigerate it, but it is kept in a cool, dark area.
I make sure to add at least 24 hrs before I add the yeast as I have read that it works best without Alcohol present.
Never used bentonite or other fining agents as I bulk age until clear before bottling (usually bottling at upwards of 6 months, some close to a year).
I like k1 yeast as it has a wide range of temperature and abv tolerances and works well with fruit wines. I like to run my fermentation at close to the bottom of the tolerance range which, combined with doing higher abv, results in longer primary- 3 weeks is typical for me.
Yeast is kept in the fridge until used.

Is it best to mash the fruit before adding the pectic enzyme?
I've actually never mashed fruit, I've just been reading a few threads on here and people seem to do it and it makes sense if I think about it.
I also wait 24 hours before adding yeast. I've done 12 hours but it seems to me I've had better luck with 24 hours.
Also a little bit of advice on yeast nutrient please . Like when to add it and if temperature makes a big difference?

 

[Raptor99]

Is it best to mash the fruit before adding the pectic enzyme?

I mash the fruit with a potato masher. It works even better if you freeze the fruit for a day or two, then thaw it. That helps to break down the fruit fibers.

 

[JOHNWALDNER95]

I've also read posts on pectin haze and cloudy wine here on this forum.
I have wine that seems clear but if you closely look at it it has small stuff floating around and it wont settle. It is weightless and just floats and wont settle . What is that and how can I clear that up. Then I also have wine that is cloudy.
Basically I'm wondering how I can distinguish between pectin haze and other hazes.

 

[D the Catastrophist]

Most fruit don't require mashing. I dice the bigger ones like pears, apples, strawberries. Berries like raspberries and blackberries get tossed in whole. Blueberries I'd give a light mash to break the skin, but otherwise after a few days in primary(I stir morning and night for the first week).

I also use a brew bag for the fruit so when I remove it I strain all the liquid out and goes into the secondary.

This also makes transferring to secondary easier- if the fruit is very blended and free floating, it will clog your siphon. I also suspect that if you blend it takes longer to clear as you are creating smaller particulates.

I have never used nutrients on a wine, unless you are doing a sugar wine like kilju, where it is only water and sugar, the fruits and fruit juice provides enough nutrients. Or if you are worried due to making a high abv wine, a little exces yeast is usually all that's needed. I make small batches(1 gallon), so even half a yeast packet is overkill, but putting the whole packet it gives the yeast the ability to further cannibalize the excess for nutrients.

Google TONSA calculator if your worried about adding nutrients, but my understanding is you can mix them in at your normal fermentation temperatures.

 

[Johnny2]

I keep my yeasts in freezer as it's a cleaner place than my leaky and sometimes moldy refrigerator