Finings

Finings are used to assist with wine clarification. Most particles that cloud wine are negatively charged particles. Finings are small positively charged particles that when inserted into wine, bond with the small negative particles, causing them sink to the bottom of the carboy. After a fining treatment, the wine can be racked and cleared of its cloudy state.

Typical finings include benonite, kieselsol, isinglass, liquid gelatin, or dry gelatin. Historically, raw egg whites have been used for centuries as fining agents; though, knowing that raw eggs can carry harmful bacteria, I would not recommend the addition of raw egg whites to your wine. I would advocate using an alternate method that does not add risk (however remote that it may be) promoting an illness.

To use finings, place the amount specified by the instructions into the wine. (Amounts vary depending on the type used.) Wait 1-2 weeks after adding finings, and rack the wine. Be extremely careful not to use more than the recommended amounts, as excess finings can extract key flavors and colors from the wine. Occasionally, it may take more than one fining treatment to clear the wine.

Alternate method for clearing white wine-No Chemicals required

For white wines, an alternate to using finings is as follows:

• For white wines a common technique to clear the wine, is to place the wine at cold temperature (30-40 degrees F) for 1-2 days. This acts to crystallize particles in the wine, causing them to drop as sediment. Once the sediment has dropped, the wine can be racked. This is a very effective method to "clear" wine, and does not require the addition of any chemicals.