There is much controversy surrounding the subject of fining wines. In general most wines will clear of their own accord if given time to age properly in bulk form. But then there is a clear wine and then there is a CLEAR wine. We know that most commercial wineries filter their wines to give a brilliance other wise not obtainable. Clarity in a wine can come if different degrees, that is a wine can be considered clear but when really scrutinized it may be found that it still has miniscule suspended particles in it. The light at which the wine is examined in can often reveal such things.

Clarity in a wine can come if different degrees, that is a wine can be considered clear but when really scrutinized it may be found that it still has miniscule suspended particles in it. The light at which the wine is examined in can often reveal such things. For the home winemaker fining can and is your friend. Fining a wine can reduce harsh tannins, help settle out dead yeast cells, and remove several kinds of hazes that other wise would plague your wine right into the bottle.  Granted, as with anything else you put into your wine, you can over do a fining agent, or use the wrong compound and cause irreversible  damage to a wine. Over fining a wine can strip it of body, color, and in some cases flavor. 

The experienced winemaker will always know the condition of his/her  wine, the levels of chemical used, what imbalances exist, and will have a general idea of where he/she wants to go with the wine. The sad truth is that a lot of times problems are detected to late, thus correction becomes more difficult. It is not often that fining a wine does any harm, and the common home winemaker should keep a variety of finings on hand. When and how to use a fining agent will be your biggest decision in using them. I will discuss here the most common fining agents their uses, and effectiveness  in home winemaking. Most all wine kits now come with a fining agent, this is because they are designed to be finished faster thus allowing you to clear the wine faster that if you let it clear naturally. A general guide line and one that I go by, is to let your reds and some of your rose's settle out on their own, but fine your white wines. I like for  my whites to be cleared in their first month of aging, and then to let the rest of bulk aging to be complete as a completely clarified wine. By doing this I always know that if the wine needs to settle out anymore over the next couple of months, it will do so in bulk and I will see the ultra fine layer of FINAL settlement in the bottom of the bulk container. And since its a white wine, I do not want any settlement in the bottle. Red wines, are more forgiving and a slight settlement is less noticeable.

Gravity alone removes most of the solids that make new wine cloudy to muddy.  As the wine clarifies itself (in the romantic old term, it "falls bright"), the clear portion is racked-transferred from the tank or cask it has been in to a clean one.  This process may be repeated several times over the six months to three years a wine stays in the cellar.

Fining helps remove the lightest particles-ones that do not respond to gravity in proper time.  Of the several fining agents in wine use, the most common are Sparkolloid, and a fine clay called bentonite.  Both are left behind in the bottom of the carboy or barrel when the wine is racked.