Arauner Kitzinger Clinitest, rapid test for residual sugar in wine

Whether a wine is really fully fermented cannot always be said clearly with the hydrometer, especially with dark fruit mashes. The Clinitest helps you to quickly assess the final degree of fermentation and, before bottling, to make sure that the residual sugar is within the desired range.

Here is how to do it: using the dropper pipette, fill wine up to the mark in the measuring glass and add a tablet with tweezers. The tablet contains caustic soda: it heats the sample to boiling, the mixture foams up and is strongly corrosive. So do not shake, do not touch the glass during the reaction, wear safety goggles and do not lean over the glass. Only once the boiling has stopped do you swirl briefly and compare the colour with the colour scale after the time stated in the tablet instructions. Red wine and dark fruit wines give readings that are too high because their pigments and tannins react as well; the result is a guide value. Quantities and times as per the tablet instructions.

• Suitable for: quick determination of the residual sugar in wine and mash
• Use: add the tablet to the sample with tweezers, do not shake, swirl only after the boiling has stopped and compare the colour with the scale
• Note: red wine and dark fruit wines give readings that are too high because pigments and tannins react as well
• Origin: original Kitzinger (Arauner, Kitzingen)