silica gel and silica sol, amorphous forms of silicon dioxide in which there is no crystalline structure, used in white winemaking and rosé winemaking as fining agents. In white wines it is also used in conjunction with gelatin, and it may be used after fining with bentonite to improve settling. It has also been suggested that its use reduces the risk of overfining.
© Jancis Robinson and Oxford University Press 1994, 1999, 2006, 2015