Bentonite

Bentonite is a clarifying agent used to clean up yeast and other stray particles by helping sediments drop out of the wine so that they can be easily strained out or simply left at the bottom of the barrel (or bottle).

This agent covers a wide spectrum of hazes. It is a montmorillonite clay which is especially good at adsorbing positively charged particles. It is the best agent for protein instability and it is easy to prepare. Its major downside is that it leaves a fairly bulky lees. Normal use is 1 to 2 grams per gallon unless used during fermentation when up to 5 grams per gallon may be used. It should be dispersed in a small amount of water for 1 or 2 hours, then thinned with wine and stirred into the batch to be treated. Settling will usually be complete within a week. Protein removal is best with lower pH wines and not as effective in high pH wines. It is used mainly with white wines.

Available in 50g, 500g