..."when the wine is clarified to get rid of cloudiness and impurities, to make it look more appealing and to improve the flavour of a wine in poor condition. Possible fining agents include:
• Gelatine – from boiled animal skin, tendons, ligaments or bones, mainly used in reds
• Egg white – used to remove harsh tannins in red wines
• Isinglass – a very pure form of gelatine made from fish blad-
ders – used in reds and whites
• Fish oil
• Chitin or chitosan – derived from the shells of crabs, shrimps or lobsters
• Milk or modified casein (from milk) - used in whites to remove off colours "
Note from the FAQ: I was working with a celiac chef who informed me that some of the barrels which cure wine us have glues that contain gluten. So you need to look for wine that is cured/stored in stainless steel. *sigh*.
So, I guess for wine drinkers that means you need to pay attention to how you feel (presuming you haven't had too much!) allergy-wise. I wonder if organic wines have less purifiers? (Of course, I am allergic to alcohol -- that's why I'm the Queen.) So I'll have to leave this to readers to figure this out. Maybe start a link on the discussion board?
Cheers! :)
The FAQ
3 comments:
Funny - I had seen a cooking post about using egg whites (lots) to "clarify" cloudy home-made chicken stock (the egg whites are stirred in and all the veggies/wee bits that make the stock cloudy attachto them - must be something similar with wine?).
Don't know why this wasn't my first thought. I sneeze when I drink more than a glass (and sometimes just a glass) of alchohol. Per the latest allergist I have non-specific rhinitis (translation - they don't really know - but maybe I am always dried out, and the alchohol makes me a bit more dried out). Interesting to think that there are all these other things it could be. (I have had prior allergists tell me to try organic wine, or to avoid wine in California (histamines in the soil, tannins in the oak in the barrel, etc.).
Claire, thanks for your comments. The egg white technique is definitely used to make consommee. So I'm sure the principle applies to other foods! Argh. The FAQ
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