To filter or not to filter

I never filter reds, they clear well all on their own with time. If anything, I fine them with sparkleoid. If you are willing to wait several months (and you should try it) you will not be disappointed with the results. Reds are much better after a year or so, kits included.

Joe

I never filter reds, they clear well all on their own with time. If anything, I fine them with sparkleoid. If you are willing to wait several months (and you should try it) you will not be disappointed with the results. Reds are much better after a year or so, kits included.

Joe

Agree with the above. Filtering is more of an issue with whites though most of us do not filter with anything. There are other ways to handle the problem such as fining and stabilizing. But with reds, I have never heard of anyone who seriously suggested filtering as necessary to remove yeast unless you are making a sweet wine and then, once again, there are other ways of handling it. I don't like to suggest such a thing but it the "expert" trying to sell you a filter or a service? It is certainly not normal practice.

Ray

With patience, filtering can be avoided in most grape-wine cases. I think a lot of people think about it for speeding up bottling. For instance, if you just make sure your fermentation is complete, and you've properly sulphited, filtering out yeast that has nothing to eat doesn't matter. Also, giving the wine time during bulk aging to fully settle out can also minimize the need for filtering. My first kit wine I actually let bulk age for seven months instead of the two months the directions gave, and it was a white that came out as clear as you can imagine.

Rob

You will find that opinions differ but I have not filtered any of my wines in the last 15 years. I did a few before that ,especially when I was just beginning and didn't know what I was doing.

If you want to make your wine and drink it very young, without due aging to let the wine mature, then you will have to fine and then probably filter as well but I certainly wouldn't filter. With my "country wines" I rarely fine either just let time and gravity ( the heavy sort) clear the wines as it matures over a couple of years (with judicious racking occasionally).

I just feel ( and this is a personal opinion which is totally unsubstantiated by me -- except in my own perception) that filtering to "polish" wines and so on cannot do anything but remove particulates which are inherent within the wines make up, bouquet, aroma, taste -- the very body of the wine. My wines which have settled out and cleared purely with time and patience are all clear and have that "sparkle" of a live wine with which we are all familiar.

I am old fashioned in my tastes and enjoy the subtlety of a well aged red wine with a good tannin kick and a long taste on the tongue to the back of the mouth.

However I do remember my first home made wine -- 2 separate gallons of a red thing from cans -- I think it was consumed without ever being bottled! mind you that was some 35 years ago! But it was great stuff !!!!!!!!!!!!!-- I suspect it wasn't fined and definitely not filtered!

Ah well -- enjoyment of wine is always more than just the drinking of it!

The shop where I bought the kit loans out one of those Buon Vino Mini Jets to there customers, so there is no extra cost involved. Thanks to all for the advice!

Reid

Ray Calvert wrote:

You will be glad you did... You will be making those dry if you make them in style so I think you can skip the filter. I have that particular filter. If you used the green sterile filter pads (which are the tightest ones), it would also strip some color and you don't want that. Just give it extra time in the carboy.

Joe