A Haze in Your Wine? Maybe You Need Pectic Enzyme

Often a home winemaker that makes wine from fruit will discover a haze in their wine. Often, this is caused by the presence of pectin which can hold flavors. The haze are actually the presence of gelatin solutions. Those who make jams and jellies are probably familiar with pectin as an addition as it does help to gel the ingredients together.

In wine making, pectin is not a desirable ingredient but it is present in just about all fruit that might be used to make wine. It’s presence helps to hold the cellular walls together.

So what can you do to prevent pectic hazes occurring in your wine? Pectic enzyme, sometimes also called pectolase, is the answer. The use of pectic enzyme has another benefit as well: It will help to extract flavors from the fruit you are using, as it breaks down the cellular structure and "eats" the pectin that is present. While it is working to break down pectin, it can also increase the yield of the available juice in the fruit.

Because different fruits have different amounts of pectin, it is best to follow a good recipe when making wine at home. Use the amount of pectic enzyme called for. For example, fruit such as gooseberries, blackcurrants, and cranberries have a high amount of pectin compared to pears, melons, grapes, raspberries and strawberries. Therefore, you will need more pectic enzyme when making wine from fruit with more pectin present.

Pectic enzyme or pectolase should be available at most retailers that offer home wine making supplies and is inexpensive at about ten dollars a pound. When making 3 gallons of gooseberry wine, I use about 1 1/2 teaspoons of pectic enzyme. For many home winemakers, a pound of pectolase may be an amount that would never be used, so it is also available in smaller sizes such as 1 ounce and 5 ounce containers.

A couple of things when considering the use of pectic enzyme are in order:

1. Never use pectic enzyme in home wine making kits. These kits have already had it added to the fruit juice concentrate.

2. Add pectic enzyme before using bentonite. Often, home winemakers will use bentonite to help clarify wine at the beginning of the wine making process while the initial vigorous fermentation is occurring. However, bentonite will neutralize enzymes causing them to be ineffective. Instead, add the pectic enzyme 2 to 3 days before the bentonite addition. This will give the enzyme enough time to do its work.