Conflicted About Filtering

[bkisel]

I've got 4 kit wines under my belt. Two have been bottled and are already being joyfully consumed. Two are being bulk aged. I keep going back and forth as to whether I should give filtering a shot with the two wines now aging. I understand that filtering will "polish" the wine and assist in degassing, are there any other benefits to filtering a kit that I'm missing? Also, if I decide to try filtering I'd start with that low cost gravity filter and was wondering about the wine dropping to the bottom of the carboy, would there be a concern about inducing damaging O2 into the wine?

Thanks...

 

[shoebiedoo]

I'm sure I'm going to get flamed for this response but:
I used to never filter. I racked my wines 4 times prior to bottling and the last one was always on bottling day to get rid of any sediment that had settled. I always thought they were clear enough but always wondered if I should try to polish them. I spent a lot of time getting the whole house filter system working and filtered a couple batches but for all my efforts I saw zero difference. In fact, one batch I filtered had a bunch of sediment after a couple weeks so... Long story short, I don't filter anymore. I just don't rush things.

 

[Deezil]

I know some people filter every batch.

I have a vacuum pump and a house filter; but I've never used it (the filter).
Keep in mind, wines sit in my carboys for 18-36 months.

By the time I'm breaking bottles out, there isn't anything left to filter out, except for the occasional problem-batch.. But then it just sits another year instead..

 

[DoctorCAD]

Dont bother with that gravity filter, its good for 1 gallon batches if you have a lot of time.

I have a pressure tank filter that I use vacuum on and it works well. Is it necessary...no, but it does make your wine clean. Just looking at the pads proves it works.

One thing to remember, filtering will not clear a wine, only gravity will do that, at least on a home wine scale.

 

[Dugger]

I tend to filter most of my wines which are almost all kit wines. I rack as little as possible and usually have some sediment in the carboy when I am ready to bottle. Filtering allows me to utilize almost all of the wine. I use a plate filter, usually with a vacuum pump.
Also, utilizing a second racking cane in the receiving carboy to put the wine a the bottom can reduce exposure of the wine to air if that is a concern.

 

[JohnT]

I have a bon-vino superjet filter. It is my best friend (I need to get out more!). I have been using it for a good 15 years on my "from grapes" wines. Consider the following..

The filter uses filter packs that come in three levels of filter, blue, red, and green. The most course level (blue) is great to use during the first "secondary" racking when the wine is only about a month old. This filter goes a long way in removing any residual yeast that can contribute to late hydrogen-sulfide issues.

After that initial filter, I settle the wine by racking. Prior to bottling, I use a medium filter (red) on my reds and the finest level on my whites (green).

I find that (especially on the whites) filtering does not really affect the flavor, but sure does make a difference in the look of the wine. After filtering, the white wines look like they could light up a room.

I once tried one of these gravity filters (25 years ago) and found that they really did not work well. Like DrCAD said, It took a VERY long time to filter just a small amount of wine.

 

[dangerdave]

I used to never filter. But then I got tired of seeing sediment in the bottoms of my wine bottles. I tried a "whole house filter", but found the process too cumbersome for the occasional filtering that I do. I now use a Vinbrite filter (gravity), and only use it on my white wines. A dose of sulphite is recommended my it's manufacturer prior to filtering to counter O2 exposure. I have used it on dozens of batches with no ill effects. It's cheap, easy to use, and does a great job. I set the filter up to run (takes about 45 minutes for a six gallon batch), and by the time I get all of my other bottling processes done, the wine is sparkling clear and ready to bottle.

I don't filter my reds. They sit in the carboy much longer before bottling.

 

[tonyt]

As I said on a previous thread, I only filter whites and lighter body reds. I experienced noticeable reduction in color and body on a Nero D'Avola recently. I usually rack three or four times over 6 to 9 months of bulk aging. I bottle age a year and I have never had sediment in the bottom of my bottles other than occasional wine diamonds.

 

[the_rayway]

I'm only into this by a year, but I always filter. For kits I do a high polish on whites/blush. And a medium on reds. They always look amazing. Keep in mind that I haven't made enough to start bulk aging (it gets drunk too fast!)

My country wines get filtered too, just before I back sweeten. The two times I didn't - they started to re-ferment in the bottle. It gives me a bit extra peace of mind for yeast extraction/kills.

I use the Buon Vino mini-jet and it works like a dream. Takes about 5-7 minutes for a 5Gal kit.

 

[Midwest Vintner]

I have used a couple of methods. Here is my opinion on them.

The gravity filter works ok, but doesn't really go very fine. It will get out enough that there will be very light amounts of sediment if there was any cloudiness in the wine. It lightly polishes. Advantage is that it doesn't really take out any flavor, but will help get out larger particles. If your wine has a pectin type haze, it won't do a whole lot. Good thing, cheap, works ok and cheap (yes, I said cheap twice! LOL).

Cartridge filters can do about anything you want. Rough filtering all the way to .45 absolute (sterile). The problem with these, you can filter out flavor. I don't care what anyone tries to say, it does affect flavor. How much might depend on the wine. Lately, I've been experimenting and have found a way to get it filtered with only very minor loss in flavor/color. The problem with these filters, the cost a lot and they are very efficient (meaning they can pull out flavor, but they can even filter out yeast). The good thing about them, they will clear cloudy wines and polish very well.

I am still a huge fan of the old method. Let it sit. We will, in time, invest in cooling tanks. We will use them in fermenting, cold stabilization and cold separation. We love to experiment, so this will open up a few avenues that I've been wanting to explore. When we get there, I'll post up some of my new endeavors. As of now, still trying to perfect the commercial aspect of wines we've already made before.

 

[vacuumpumpman]

I have used a couple of methods. Here is my opinion on them.

Cartridge filters can do about anything you want. Rough filtering all the way to .45 absolute (sterile). The problem with these, you can filter out flavor. I don't care what anyone tries to say, it does affect flavor. How much might depend on the wine. Lately, I've been experimenting and have found a way to get it filtered with only very minor loss in flavor/color. The problem with these filters, the cost a lot and they are very efficient (meaning they can pull out flavor, but they can even filter out yeast). The good thing about them, they will clear cloudy wines and polish very well.

.

I noticed that you mentioned that the cartridges cost alot of money? Would you be referring to the whole house filters ? - The filters from Filter Fast are very reasonable - around 4 dollars each and McMaster Car has one that goes down to .35 micron, but if I recall it is in the 10 dollar range