Wine is a complex natural product influenced by many factors. Red wine is an alcoholic drink
obtained by fermentation of grape juice. In addition to the qualities and degrees of ripeness of grapes,
the production process, stabilization, and maturation are necessary for obtaining high quality wines.
Clarification is a physical operation to remove deposited matter from wine. After fermentation, the
process of clarification removes the precipitate and proteins, which preventively influence on the
microbiological stability and quality of the red wine. Thanks to their negative charge, silica particles
bind protein molecules to themselves. The main goal of this paper was to examine the influence of
different concentration and sizes of silica gel particles on the stability of red wines. Red wine is
prepared from varieties Kaberne, Vranac and Merlo. In total, 29 models were prepared to which four
types of amorphous silica gel were added in different quantities (from 0.5 to 2 g/l). The following
types of silica gel were used: I-SiO2 (silica gel 60A, ACM 0-10μm); II-SiO2 (silica gel 60A, SCR 0-
40μm); III-SiO2 (silica gel 60A, TSP 0-40μm); IV-SiO2 (silica gel 90A, SCR 0-40μm). With the
addition of silica gel to red wine, there was a decrease in the value of the content of total acids, as
well as tartarate salts, which leads to an increase in the stability of the wine. An increase in the amount
of added silica gel showed an improvement in the properties of red wine. The most optimal results
were achieved with the addition of 1.5 to 2.0 g of silica gel. Among them, the best results were shown
by the models M1.4, M6.4 and M7.4.
