Sparkolloid Confusion.

[Briatta]

I'm going to be using Sparkolloid for the first time tomorrow and I have a bit of a dilemma. I've been researching off and on for the last few days and have found that the instructions for the Sparkolloid addition stated by the Scott Laboratories' site, my package (re-package it looks like) of Sparkolloid from Brewcraft and the Mead forums' 'Sticky: Mead Making FAQs' are all a little different. They can't seem to agree and since I've never used it before I'm not exactly in the position to be able to tell which one I should follow without asking the help of those who have used it before.

I will admit that I haven't done the math for the Scott Laboratories's instructions yet. Theirs is listed for 1000 gallon batches. Listing 1 - 4 pounds of Sparkolloid per 1000 gallons of wine using 1-2 two gallons of water per pound to dissolve. I wish I knew what the variables were that give them such a large range of options. I mean do they use 1 pound for red wine and 4 pounds for white? I'm assuming they use the second gallon of water when they use the 3 or 4 pounds. Anyway, like I said, haven't done the math on that one yet.

My package instructions say to use 1 teaspoon per gallon of wine to 2 cups of water. I'm assuming it's only the teaspoons scaling so for a 5 gallon batch it would be 5 teaspoons in 2 cups of water. The rest of the instructions, regarding the 5-10 minute boil and adding warm I understand.

The Mead forum sticky lists it by weight. 1/4 to 1 gram of dry Sparkolloid powder per gallon of wine. I haven't opened my package and weighed 1 teaspoon yet to see if it falls into that weight range. My newbie self is a little paranoid about contamination. I have also read a few threads where people say to use 1 tablespoon. I'm guessing that may be because of the lovely 1/4 to 1 gram option listed in the sticky. I am still curious to what should influence you to use 1/4 gram over 1 gram or vice versa, but that's a separate issue. Anyway.

The gigantic noticeable difference between my package instructions and the sticky however is in regards to the amount of water used to dissolve it in. Like I already stated, my package say 2 cups of boiling water. The sticky in the mead forum states 100 ml. 100 ml is 3.3814 oz or just over .42 cups. Or if you look at it the other way, my package says to use just over 473 ml of water and the sticky says to use 100 ml of water. Big difference.

To those of you who have done this before what do I use? My package instructions for 1 tsp per gallon in 2 cups (473 ml) of water or the stickies instruction of 1/4 g - 1 g per gallon in .42 cups (100 ml) of water? Or do I use something else? My brain hurts. Help.

Thanks in advance. I'll be rocking in a corner.

 

[WVMJ]

Start at the lower rate first, the varying rates are for how hard its going to be to remove the cloudiness. We cheat and microwave it in a big coffee mug, making it boil 3 times, stirring each time. Your next question is going to be about how long does this stuff take - a day or a week depending, did you degass first, is it already relatively clear? Next question is going to be about how to rack it off the fluffy stuff on the bottom, carefully, keep the racking cane well above the bottom. You can rack your last gallon into a gallon jug and let the sparkaloid settle out again vs trying to keep all the sparkaloid out of the whole batch while at the same time trying to get every last drop, better to get most of it and then put the remainder in another bottle to settle out. Next question might be what is this white stuff in the bottom of my bottles - you got to close to the bottom and sucked up some and it of course spread to all the bottles. If I have to sparkaloid I usually just filter it, stopping before I see the sparkaloid lifting off of the bottom and run that last part into another jug. WVMJ

 

[Briatta]

Actually, I already had all the answers to those extra questions you brought up since all those answers agree no matter where you research them, but thanks.

When you say the lower rate do you mean the 1 teaspoon of my package instructions or the 1/4 gram from the Mead forum FAQ sticky?

Did you happen know whether or not to use the 473 ml of water my package suggests or the 100 ml that the FAQ suggests? Not sure if you missed that question.

 

[Yooper]

Actually, I already had all the answers to those extra questions you brought up since all those answers agree know matter where you research them, but thanks.

When you say the lower rate do you mean the 1 teaspoon of my package instructions or the 1/4 gram from the Mead forum FAQ sticky?

Did you happen know whether or not to use the 473 ml of water my package suggests or the 100 ml that the FAQ suggests? Not sure if you missed that question.

The amount of water doesn't matter. Use as little as you need to to dissolve the sparkelloid.

I'd go with the minimum required to do the job. That's probably far less than 1 teaspoon per gallon- maybe 1-2 teaspoons for the whole batch in my experience.

 

[Jacob_Marley]

... They can't seem to agree and since I've never used it before I'm not exactly in the position to be able to tell which one I should follow without asking the help of those who have used it before.

... Listing 1 - 4 pounds of Sparkolloid per 1000 gallons of wine using 1-2 two gallons of water per pound to dissolve. I wish I knew what the variables were that give them such a large range of options. ...

My package instructions say to use 1 teaspoon per gallon of wine to 2 cups of water. I'm assuming it's only the teaspoons scaling so for a 5 gallon batch it would be 5 teaspoons in 2 cups of water. The rest of the instructions, regarding the 5-10 minute boil and adding warm I understand.

...

The gigantic noticeable difference between my package instructions and the sticky however is in regards to the amount of water used to dissolve it in. Like I already stated, my package say 2 cups of boiling water. ...

To those of you who have done this before what do I use? My package instructions for 1 tsp per gallon in 2 cups (473 ml) of water or the stickies instruction of 1/4 g - 1 g per gallon in .42 cups (100 ml) of water? Or do I use something else? My brain hurts. Help.

Thanks in advance. I'll be rocking in a corner.

Using Sparkolloid ...

As far as the amount of water, toward the upper end of the range for large batches with heavy suspended particle content ... and to the lower/average range for average batches. The point is to use enough water to facilitate a very even dispersal within the batch. And also with the effectiveness of the fining agent being dependent on being carried in water (which is why you don't make your fining solution with some of the wine itself), you can not count on a consistent "dissolve" when the solution hits the wine itself.

What gives the large range of options on the the actual fining agent dosing is that, with the Sparkolloid hot mix (and other fining agents too), you only use the concentration - that is, the amount of fining agent - necessary to fine out the target particles to provide the clarity (or other effect) in the wine ... but not more.
If you use more, hot mix will strip out flavor, aromas and color. This is called “over-fining”.

You will note at the Scott site the statement “Bench trials recommended” ... that is what they are alluding to there. You are expected to do trials to figure out where in the range your dosing is.

Bench trials are generally both to ascertain how *that* particular fining agent acts with the wine you will use it on (different fining agents act to greater or lesser degrees with different types of suspended particles and in different batches) ... as well as, for the amount of clarifying/fining necessary for that specific batch of wine, how much to use.

While most home vintners do not swet these details ... if you are going to produce the best possible product ... and importantly, understand how to produce it again in the future ... one needs to know how to do bench trials.

Bench trials to determine how much to use, are done by adding varying amounts of sparkolloid to a number of samples of the wine.
One would normally use a fairly sizable test sample, say 10 to 12 oz; and maybe 4 or 5 of them to add different dosages to ... but in your case the size of your batch might determine this ... ie. 5 x 12oz samples (60oz) is a big portion of a one gallon batch of wine, etc.
If your batch is on the smallish side; I'd think 4 x 6oz samples would be a reasonable middle-road to start with.

Once you find a dosage that suits you in the bench trials, then scaling up to dosing your full batch is just a matter of simple math.

It is *particularly* important to take very careful written notes and the go to great pains to make sure that your trials, and also the scale-up of the treatment to the main batch, have identical variables ........... dosages ... how the fining agent is prepared and mixed ... solution temperatures (both of the samples and of the chemicals) ... the amount of CO2 still lurking around in the wine (remember to de-gas before fining) ... consistency of pH between the bench trial samples and the bulk batch (to insure that the isoelectric point available in each is similar) ... the ambient room temperature while you are waiting for things to settle out of suspension ... and the homogeneity of the dispersal of the fining agent in the bulk batch of wine.

When you add the prepared sparkolloid to the samples, and particularly to the main batch, stir constantly and add the mixture slowly. In big bulk batches you may need to simultaneously rack while the mixture is being added to insure consistent dispersal throughout the wine.

Like I say ... this is to a degree why a lot of home vintners don’t go through the trouble for small batches. And while you can kinda shoot from the hip and get probably good drinkable results ... for particularly large batches and/or batches you are going to put down to age (store to age for a period of time either in bulk or in bottles), it is worth the effort to do it the right way.

I know, I know ... "can nothing be simple?!" ;-)

Finally ... If you just want to get on with it, just follow the "package instructions" and take good notes. If you need to do it differently in the future, your notes will allow you to do that.

 

[Jacob_Marley]

... reminds me of Chevy Chase's quote: "ah, I was told there would be no math involved"

 

[Briatta]

... reminds me of Chevy Chase's quote: "ah, I was told there would be no math involved"

Yeah, good luck with that. LOL

Thanks guys.

And thanks Jacob_Marley for the extra background info. I was one of those freak children who read encyclopedias for fun. Even if it doesn't come into play anytime soon I like to know the 'why' as well as the 'how.'