Wine infected?

[Mikeymu]

Having failed to make an elderberry & clove cordial (like my grandmother used to make) because of not boiling to kill off any wild yeast it began to ferment. I emptied the bottles into a demijohn and added wine yeast (burgundy) plus I also added cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, orange juice and oak chips. It tasted great - the best mulled wine ever!

After fermentation ceased I stabilised and then back-sweetened the wine and it sat quietly for about one year. Now, having taken it out of the cellar there seems to be a problem.

There is a distinct line when looking into the demijohn from the side where the top half is purple (as it ought to be) and below the line it contains white bits and has a more brown colour.

I thought of trying bentonite to see if the half that looks strange will clear but I fear that maybe it needs throwing down the toilet instead.

Does anyone have any ideas please?

 

[PatrickSweetman]

If you used wine yeast and it fermented until the alcohol killed it then nothing else can live in it. Wines do sometime precipitate sediments as they age. Cream of tartar forms white crystals. Tannins and pigments form brownish deposits. If it tastes good then it is good.

 

[Yooper]

If you used wine yeast and it fermented until the alcohol killed it then nothing else can live in it. Wines do sometime precipitate sediments as they age. Cream of tartar forms white crystals. Tannins and pigments form brownish deposits. If it tastes good then it is good.

I wouldn't say nothing else can live in wine- wine that has been exposed to air certainly can get contaminated with bacteria and wild yeast and turn sour or otherwise spoil- but I agree that if it tastes good, it's fine.

 

[Jacob_Marley]

personally, I'd let it sit undisturbed for a day or two and then carefully siphon (with tubing) the nice purple part into one set of bottles and the brown part into another set (or jug). Hopefully, you will preserve the best of the batch this way, yet still have the odd portion to treat or drink as well.

 

[Mikeymu]

Think I've cracked it - resorted to bentonite in the end and it's much clearer now. The bits must have been orange juice - I'm almost ashamed to say I used orange cordial instead of the real thing! Anyhow it tasted berry good