Adjuvant
Definition - What does Adjuvant mean?
In the context of winemaking, an adjuvant is a compound in the form of a powdered riddling agent added to sparkling wine to remove sediment. As a riddling agent, these adjuvants contain minerals and alginic compounds that remove sediment and cloudiness from sparkling wines.
Adjuvants are compounds that are added as an addition to physical methods of sediment removal in wines, particularly sparkling wines. Adjuvants attach to sediments to remove all sediment and cloudiness and make wine clear.
WineFrog explains Adjuvant
Sparkling wines would not be so sparkling if they were cloudy from sediment and yeast residue in the wine. Adjuvants are riddling compounds that result in clear, sediment-free wines. Riddling was developed to remove sediment from sparkling wine.
While there are many different ways to approach riddling, adding an adjuvant is a safe, affordable and very effective way to riddle wine of sediment and cloudiness. Adjuvants can be added to wines that are hand or machine riddled or added during secondary fermentation.
