Bentonite for winemaking

Bentonite proves to be extremely useful in the winemaking process.

It is used in the wine industry to clarify musts, wine materials and high-quality wines against proteinaceous, reversible colloidal and biochemical turbidity and to stabilise them.

It is an excellent adsorbent for the removal of biochemical turbidity and unwanted aromas. The clarification process is based on the tandem of two processes – adsorption and flocculation of turbid particles. Bentonite clings to protein impurities and traps them at the bottom.

Natural precipitation is not the only reason why wine becomes cloudy. Other factor is protein mass (remains of dead yeast), yeast fungus waste, tartrate and so on. This is why it is recommended to clarify the beverage before bottling – regardless of the its type.

Clarification is not the same as filtration. Various flannel and paper filters are used for filtration, but this causes the quality of the drink to deteriorate, it loses its strength. Hence, clarification is always preferred.

Bentonite as a stabilising and clarifying agent is increasingly replacing the traditional wine clarifiers: fish glue and gelatine. The surface area of the flakes found in 1 g of bentonite is more than 50 m². The very small particle size and the peculiar sponge-like structure give bentonite a very strong sorption capacity.