How to Clear Cloudy Homemade Wine: Fining Agents Compared

Most homemade wine clears on its own if you give it time, rack it off the sediment and keep it cool. When it does not, a fining agent speeds things up: bentonite for protein and general haze, a two-part kieselsol and chitosan clarifier such as Super-Kleer KC for a fast all-purpose clear, Sparkolloid for stubborn haze, and gelatin for harsh, tannic reds. Use one agent at a time, wait for it to work, then rack the clear wine off the new sediment. Filter only a wine that is already clear.

North Dakota State University Extension’s Getting Started With Home Winemaking gives the ground rules: clarification can be hastened with additives, do not use more than one clarifying agent at a time, and allow several days to several weeks for it to work.

Why Homemade Wine Stays Cloudy

Fixing a hazy wine is much easier once you know what is floating in it.

Likely cause	Clues	What to do
Fermentation not finished	Gravity still dropping, airlock still active	Wait. Fining a fermenting wine wastes the agent
Yeast still in suspension	Milky, even haze in a young wine	Time, a cool spot and a racking; then fine if needed
Dissolved carbon dioxide	Fine bubbles, spritzy taste	Degas before fining
Pectin haze	Fruit wines, especially from cooked fruit, that never clear	Pectic enzyme; NDSU notes it prevents pectic haze
Protein haze	White and fruit wines that cloud when chilled or warmed	Bentonite

NDSU Extension describes pectic enzyme as the additive that breaks down pectin and prevents pectic haze in the finished wine, which is why most fruit wine recipes add it at the start. If you skipped it, you can still add it to a hazy fruit wine before trying a fining agent. Our guide to wine making additives covers pectic enzyme and the other common ones.

Clear Wine Without Additives First

Give it time and rack it

Every racking leaves a layer of yeast and fruit sediment behind. Virginia Cooperative Extension’s Wine Making for the Home Gardener racks every one to two months until no more sediment forms, and the University of Georgia’s Winemaking at Home notes that a wine of good alcoholic strength will ordinarily clear itself if allowed to stand. Our guide on how to rack wine covers the technique.

Chill it

The UGA guide also recommends chilling grape wine to 30 to 40°F after racking, which helps suspended material and tartrate crystals drop out. A cold garage or a spare fridge for a couple of weeks can save you a fining agent.

Wine Fining Agents Compared

Fining agents carry an electric charge and bind to particles with the opposite charge, which makes them heavy enough to settle. That is why the right agent depends on the haze, and why some kits use two agents with opposite charges in sequence.

Agent	Best for	Typical home dose	Time to work
Bentonite (clay)	Protein haze in whites and fruit wines; general clearing	1 to 2 g per gallon after fermentation, up to 5 g per gallon during fermentation (PIWine)	Days to a couple of weeks
Kieselsol and chitosan (Super-Kleer KC)	Fast all-purpose clearing of finished wine, beer and cider	One two-part package per 5 to 6 gallons (maker)	About 1 to 2 weeks in kit schedules
Sparkolloid	Stubborn haze after a first racking; meads	1 tablespoon per 6 gallons, prepared hot (North Mountain Supply); 120 to 480 mg/L hot mix (BRSquared)	About a week; settles in 1.5 to 2 days per BRSquared
Gelatin	Harsh or very tannic reds; stubborn haze after several rackings	1 level teaspoon per 5 gallons (UGA)	Until the wine clears

Bentonite

Bentonite is a clay, usually sodium bentonite from Wyoming, that swells in water and binds proteins. Virginia Tech enologist Bruce Zoecklein’s Bentonite Fining of Juice and Wine explains that it has to be hydrated slowly in water to work, and that how you hydrate and add it matters as much as how much you use. PIWine’s bentonite instructions give the home version: make a thin slurry with 20 mL of water per gram, for example 5 grams (about a teaspoon) in 100 mL of water for 5 gallons, mix vigorously, never with wine, and add it to the wine while stirring. PIWine finds 1 to 2 grams per gallon adequate after fermentation and up to 5 grams per gallon when added during fermentation, and recommends bench trials to find the right rate.

Many kits add bentonite on day one, in the primary fermenter, so it is already working while the wine ferments.

Kieselsol and chitosan (Super-Kleer KC)

This is the clarifier most wine kits include. Kieselsol is a silica suspension and chitosan is a natural polymer with the opposite charge; used in sequence, they pull down a wide range of particles. The order matters. RJS Craft Winemaking’s process guide says the kieselsol and chitosan must be used together in the correct sequence, kieselsol first, stirring thoroughly after each; some kits reverse the order, so follow your package. The Super-Kleer KC listing describes it as kieselsol and chitosan, with one package treating 5 to 6 US gallons.

Sparkolloid

Sparkolloid, developed by Scott Laboratories, is a polysaccharide blend with a strong positive charge. BRSquared’s fining reference describes it as a gentle clarifier that settles quickly, is sometimes used after bentonite, and is recommended for meads. It has to be dissolved hot; follow the directions on your packet. As one example, North Mountain Supply’s directions for its Sparkolloid are 1 tablespoon in 1 cup of boiling water, simmered 5 minutes, added to 6 gallons of wine that has been racked at least once, then 7 days before racking or bottling.

Gelatin

Plain unflavored gelatin removes tannin as well as haze, so it suits a harsh red better than a delicate white. The UGA guide uses one level teaspoon per five gallons, dissolved in wine drawn from the batch, then stirred back in and left until the wine clears. Because gelatin takes tannin with it, the same guide adds an equal amount of wine tannin back afterwards. Packaged gelatin finings come with their own directions; the Craft A Brew finings, for example, are dissolved in water, heated to at least 160°F, cooled, and used at 1 gram per gallon, with 2 to 3 days before bottling.

How to Fine Wine, Step by Step

Confirm fermentation has finished. Gravity readings should match over several days. See how to use a hydrometer.
Rack the wine off the heavy sediment into a clean carboy.
Degas it, especially if it is a kit or a young wine.
Prepare the agent exactly as the label says. Bentonite as a slurry in water, Sparkolloid dissolved hot, gelatin dissolved in a little wine, kieselsol and chitosan straight from the pouches in order.
Stir it in gently but thoroughly, refit the airlock, and keep the carboy cool and still.
Wait. Leave it for the time on the package. Avoid moving the carboy; give it a gentle twist only if the instructions say so, to drop sediment stuck to the glass.
Rack the clear wine off the new sediment and decide whether it needs anything else. If it is still hazy, try a different agent rather than a double dose of the same one.

Should You Filter Homemade Wine?

Filtering is a polishing step, not a fix. WineMaker Magazine’s kit winemaking tips are blunt about it: never filter or bottle cloudy wine, because the sediment passes through most filter pads and the wine keeps clearing in the bottle. Clear the wine first, then filter if you want extra brilliance.

Home filter units such as the Buon Vino Mini Jet push wine through pads graded from coarse (#1) through polishing (#2) to sterile (#3). Start with the coarsest grade a wine needs and work down. Pads strip a little body and aroma as well as haze, which is one more reason to fine and rack first.

Fining agent	Super-Kleer KC (kieselsol and chitosan) Editor's Choice	North Mountain Supply Food Grade Bentonite, 4 oz	LD Carlson Sparkolloid Powder, 1 oz	Craft A Brew Gelatin Finings
Product
Best for	Fast all-purpose clearing	Protein and pectic haze, general clearing	Stubborn haze, meads	Harsh, tannic reds
Preparation	Two pouches, added in order	Slurry in water	Dissolve in boiling water	Dissolve, then stir in
Dose	5 to 6 gallons per package (maker)	1 to 2 g per gallon after fermentation (PIWine)	Follow the packet	1 g per gallon (maker)
Pack	10 packages	4 oz jar	1 oz packet	1 oz pack
Price tier	$	$	$	$
Buy	Check price	Check price	Check price	Check price

Editor's Choice

Super-Kleer KC (kieselsol and chitosan)

Best for: Fast all-purpose clearing
Preparation: Two pouches, added in order
Dose: 5 to 6 gallons per package (maker)
Pack: 10 packages
Price tier: $

Check price

North Mountain Supply Food Grade Bentonite, 4 oz

Best for: Protein and pectic haze, general clearing
Preparation: Slurry in water
Dose: 1 to 2 g per gallon after fermentation (PIWine)
Pack: 4 oz jar
Price tier: $

Check price

LD Carlson Sparkolloid Powder, 1 oz

Best for: Stubborn haze, meads
Preparation: Dissolve in boiling water
Dose: Follow the packet
Pack: 1 oz packet
Price tier: $

Check price

Craft A Brew Gelatin Finings

Best for: Harsh, tannic reds
Preparation: Dissolve, then stir in
Dose: 1 g per gallon (maker)
Pack: 1 oz pack
Price tier: $

Check price

A clearing kit for the home winery

Two agents cover almost every haze: bentonite for protein, Super-Kleer for a fast general clear. The pads are only for owners of a Buon Vino Mini Jet filter.

1All-purpose clarifier

Super-Kleer KC Beer and Wine Clarifier, 10-pack

Kieselsol and chitosan in two pouches, one package per 5 to 6 US gallons, per the listing.

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2Bentonite

North Mountain Supply Food Grade Bentonite, 4 oz

Food grade bentonite in a sealed jar, sold as a clarifier for pectic and protein haze.

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3For stubborn haze

LD Carlson Sparkolloid Powder, 1 oz

A small packet of the hot-mix clarifier, enough for home batches; dissolve it hot as the packet directs.

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4Filter pads

Buon Vino Mini Jet #2 Polishing Pads

Medium polishing pads for the Mini Jet system, with a 1 to 5 micron pore size, for wine that is already clear, per the listing.

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What is the best fining agent for wine?

There is no single best one; it depends on the haze. Bentonite handles protein haze and general clearing, a kieselsol and chitosan pair such as Super-Kleer KC clears most finished wines quickly, Sparkolloid works on stubborn haze and meads, and gelatin suits harsh, tannic reds. Use one at a time and give each enough time.

What is a wine fining agent?

A substance added to wine to bind with the particles that make it hazy so they settle out. Fining agents carry an electric charge and attract particles with the opposite charge. Common home options are bentonite clay, kieselsol and chitosan, Sparkolloid and gelatin. After they settle, the clear wine is racked off the sediment.

How long should I leave bentonite in wine?

Usually from several days to a couple of weeks, until the wine is clear and a compact layer has formed at the bottom. NDSU Extension says clarifiers can take several days to several weeks. Rack the wine off the bentonite once it has cleared, so the lees do not sit on the wine longer than needed.

How much bentonite per gallon of wine?

PIWine's instructions find 1 to 2 grams per gallon adequate when bentonite is added after fermentation, and up to 5 grams per gallon when it goes in during fermentation. Mix it first into a slurry using about 20 mL of water per gram, never wine, and run a small bench trial if you want to find the lowest dose that works.

What is bentonite used for in wine?

Bentonite is a clay used to clear wine and to remove the proteins that can make white and fruit wines go hazy, particularly when they are chilled or warmed. It swells in water and binds the proteins, then settles to the bottom. Many wine kits add it on the first day so it works during fermentation.

Why is my homemade wine still cloudy?

The usual reasons are that fermentation has not finished, the wine is too young and the yeast has not settled, it still holds carbon dioxide, or it has a pectin or protein haze. Check the gravity, give it time somewhere cool, rack it, degas it, and use pectic enzyme for fruit wines or bentonite for protein haze.