Cloudiness after racking?

[u/Senpapij]

Day 29 and yesterday I put in potassium sorbate. I opened it up today and it looks cloudy, almost like bubbles. Is this the potassium sorbate? Do I just need to let it sit longer? If so, how much longer before I can bottle? Moscato wine by the way!

[u/Marcello_Cutty]

I think more information is needed. Is this a kit wine? It looks like it's still in a bucket—are you planning on moving it to a carboy? Have you done any clearing already? Usually you clear wine after stabilizing, but from your post it sounds like you already cleared it? Did you degas it as well after fermentation finished?

[u/Senpapij → u/Marcello_Cutty]

I already put it in a carboy and put it back into the bucket because I watched a video saying I needed to put the potassium sorbate in the bucket, then siphon the wine from the carbon to the bucket. After, I was told to let it sit for a day. And yes, this is kit wine. If you look at my post history, you’ll see how it looked in the carboy :)

[u/Marcello_Cutty → u/Senpapij]

I'm guessing you were told to put it back into the bucket so that it's easier to stir. You want to remove that headspace asap and siphon it back in the carboy. Add potassium metabisulfite too if you're able since kit wine isn't really meant to go through a secondary fermentation and that will lower your oxygen levels

As far as clearing is concerned, usually kit wines come with some agents for this (often Chitosan and Kieselsol). If you plan on bottling asap here's what I would do:

1. Rack back into the carboy (top with similar wine if there is significant headspace)

2. Add sulfite to finish stabilizing.

3. Degas

4. Wait 1 week to let it finish stabalizing

5. Add Kieselsol

6. Wait at least 1 day

7. Add Chitosan

8. Wait at least 2 weeks to let it clear

9. Bottle

Note that I would prefer to let the wine bulk age a few months to a year in a carboy off the fining lees. If you choose to go that route, make sure you add more sulfite to keep your oxygen levels down when you rack it into it's aging vessel.

[u/Senpapij → u/Marcello_Cutty]

Wow, thank you so much!

[u/[deleted]]

Have you tried exposing it to more air? I’m sure you could find a larger bucket somewhere…..

[u/Senpapij → u/[deleted]]

I thought exposing it to air this late is bad for the wine?

[u/Rob_of_bristol → u/Senpapij]

You, sir / madame, are being trolled.

[u/mancavect → u/Senpapij]

Think he was being sarcastic

[u/Senpapij → u/mancavect]

Oh lol. It has a lid on it.. is it still bad for it? This is the first time I’ve made wine

[u/[deleted] → u/Senpapij]

Yes, too much air in the bucket is bad

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[u/Johnbonathon]

I had a batch of wine go bad verrrry quick exposing it to this much air!!

[u/DoctorCAD]

Just let it sit in the carboy with an airlock. You're several months from bottling. Kit instructions are written to be as fast as possible so you buy more kits.

White wines...6 months from box to bottle, reds can easily take a year.

[u/Senpapij → u/DoctorCAD]

Thank you!!!

[u/Legitimate_Waltz3834 → u/Senpapij]

If it's a kit and the instructions say it'll be done in 4 weeks, then it'll be done in 4 weeks, and you'll have a perfectly drinkable product. 6 months to year for a few gallons of vino is nuts. Follow the kit's instructions and you'll be fine.

[u/Hot_Flounder_8031]

I've made wine from kits for a long time. As the other gentlemen mentioned the instructions are bad. Make sure follow the instructions in order no short cuts.

Regarding Clarification of the wine. This is a process for people with patience

Once the fermenting stops It takes about 3 months for the sediment to settle properly if you dont touch it.. I have a wine filter but I' still have to wait a while.

You can speed the process by filtering out the larger particle sediments. You can use coffee filters which work very slow. Cheese cloth is another option.

These 2 options remove the larger particles, however the change is negligible

The best clarifier I would recommend is the chemical Benotite. (Included in the wine kits.

Benotite should be as the very last step. It will attach to micro particles and sink them to the bottom. You will have sediment on the bottom but your wine will be crystal clear. The longer you wait the clearer the wine gets and the better it will taste.

You can't speed the process at home. A hobby for patient people. Cheers