Filtering

[pracz]

Hi all -

I have a RJS Cru Select Chardonnay that will be ready to bottle in about a week or so. This will be the first time I filter a wine and am curious how you go about doing this. Do you first rack off the lees into another carboy then filter into yet another carboy? That seems like an extra step. I was hoping to just filter from the carboy where the wine was clarified. I'm just not sure if that is risky with all the lees on the bottom.

Just curious how everyone else is doing this.

Thanks,

Pete

 

[Bert]

Most of the time if I filter, I have racked off the lees and had the wine ageing for a while...I filter [for a polished look] and than bottle...The risk would be how loose the sediment is and how much will be sucked into the filter when racking.....I think that would have to be your call....good luck

 

[vscottcolorado]

I always rack off the lees before filtering. I only filter just prior to bottling. If I am going to bulk age awhile I will wait till then to filter.

 

[robie]

George's site has a good on demand video on filtering.

 

[Goodfella]

I always rack off the lees before filtering. I only filter just prior to bottling. If I am going to bulk age awhile I will wait till then to filter.

+1

 

[cpfan]

Racking off the lees prior to filtering is a great idea for inexperienced filterers (if that's a word). That way they can concentrate on the filtering and not on the sediment. Once you feel very comfortable with filtering, you can move up to not racking before filtering. Just be careful not to suck sediment up into the pads as this will clog the pads and cause problems.


Steve

 

[ibglowin]

Lees = dead yeast

Fines = sediment on the bottom after clarifying agents have been added.

You should not be filtering if you have lees!

If they are fines, I would take the extra step and rack them off just so you don't have to worry about plugging up your filter at $2 a crack!

Then sit back relax and let that filter "polish" your wine to perfection.

 

[pracz]

Lees = dead yeast



Fines = sediment on the bottom after clarifying agents have been added.



You should not be filtering if you have lees!



If they are fines, I would take the extra step and rack them off just so you don't have to worry about plugging up your filter at $2 a crack!



Then sit back relax and let that filter "polish" your wine to perfection.

Oops...Sorry...You're right. I wrote lees and meant fines. My mistake

 

[Runningwolf]

Lees = dead yeast

Fines = sediment on the bottom after clarifying agents have been added.

You should not be filtering if you have lees!

If they are fines, I would take the extra step and rack them off just so you don't have to worry about plugging up your filter at $2 a crack!

Then sit back relax and let that filter "polish" your wine to perfection.

Ditto

 

[Boyd]

I have a mini jet that I use for filtering and bottling.

I filter from the carboy directly, starting with the tube on the bottom of the bottle and ending about 3 fingers above the bottom. Let the wine in the tube dribble until the proper level then drop it into another bottle.

Works good for me, no need for a second step, and saves time

 

[cpfan]

I have a mini jet that I use for filtering and bottling.

I filter from the carboy directly, starting with the tube on the bottom of the bottle and ending about 3 fingers above the bottom. Let the wine in the tube dribble until the proper level then drop it into another bottle.

Works good for me, no need for a second step, and saves time

I'm sure that Boyd is not the only person doing something similar. However, please be aware that Buon Vino does not recommend this as the constant stopping and starting is not good for some component of the filter. Also, I have read that the stopping and starting can cause the filter pads to shift slightly and this may allow some of the particles that should be filtered out to pass through to the bottles.


Basically it's your choice. But again, I would not recommend that a first time filterer take on more than they may be able to handle.


Steve

 

[pracz]

Ok...yet another question along the same lines...

The chardonnay is now crystal clear with a coupe of inches of sediment on the bottom. I was going to rack off the sediment but I do not have a
free carboy. So, I was going to rack into a primary bucket then back
into the carboy after I clean it out. However, I am worried about
oxidation. Should I just leave it alone until I am ready to filter and
bottle? I will probably let it stay in bulk aging for another 3-4 weeks.

Thanks,

Pete

 

[ibglowin]

I do that all the time.

Have not experienced any problems to date. I gravity rack and aim the end of the siphon hose so it hits the side of the bucket and does not just splash hard into the center of the bucket. The main thing is to be quick. You should be able to gravity rack in 10-15 minutes and then immediately clean your carboy and rack back into it. Then stopper it and sit back and wait for bottling time to come around in a few weeks.

Total time is about 30 minutes. I triple rinse my carboy with warm water to clean and then pour 200ml of K-Meta solution in the carboy and shake it up with a stopper on the end. let it sit for a minute, drain and start the siphon back into glass.

 

[pracz]

Thanks, Mike!

 

[Boyd]

Guess I'll have to e-mail boun Vino and ask about damage from filtering directly to the bottle although I have not noticed problems with the filter shifting. I would think if that was the case there would be excessive seepage.