Description
One packet of Bentonite is suitable to clear about 130L fruit wine/ mash.
Bentonite is perhaps the most common fining agent used in the wine industry to clear wine. It is a 100% natural product made from volcanic ash (mined in the Drakensberg) and has been used for literally hundreds of years and still is the fining agent of choice of top quality wines.
You shouldn’t just add bentonite directly to your wine or must. Instead, you should hydrate it first. This can be a bit tricky; if you don’t do it correctly, you’ll just end up with water and a glob of “mud.”
Decide on your dosage rate. A good dosage rate is between 0,8 – 1 gram per liter of wine/mash. The maximum dosage rate is 1,3 grams per liter and should only be applied to sugar washes / fermentations intended for neutral spirit production (otherwise it will strip all the aroma and flavor compounds). Dissolve bentonite in 10 times its weight of water at 50 degree C (1o ml of water for every 1 gram of bentonite), and very slowly, while stirring the water with a fork or a whisk, pour the bentonite into the water.
Let stand for 24 hours in a sealed container so that it can hydrate, then add this “slurry” to the wine while stirring.
Bentonite may be added to any type of fermented beverage in order to clarify it
