First Big Investment - Input

[Ignoble Grape]

Hi All,

So this harvest I'm going to be making my first big equipment purchase. Exciting! Quick check for understanding with all you experts:

1. An all-in-one pump degasses - really helpful for kits, not necessarily for wine made for grapes, but doesn't filter (I may be incorrect with this one, or maybe I'm looking at the wrong piece of equipment)
2. A filter removes all of the possible bacteria leftovers that can cause spoilage, but doesn't degas
3. A filler fills the bottles, but doesn't degas or filter - though the Enolmatic looks like it gets rid of oxygen, but not CO2.

What am I missing? I'm thinking #2 is my priority.

Cheers!

 

[cmason1957]

Filtering is overrated in my opinion. It doesn't help clear your wine, it just adds a finish polish to it. For me #1 of your list is the priority. All wines have CO2 in them that should be removed prior to bottling, it is less of a concern in wines from grapes, due to the generally longer time between start and bottling, but it is there and has to be taken care of. Also, the All-in-one-wine-pump can have a filter added to it. See: https://www.allinonewinepump.com/product/wine-filter-setup/

it costs about $30-40, if I remember correctly. For me, the degassing capabilities are sort of a side benefit, the ability to use the same piece of equipment almost any time I need to move wine around is the biggest benefit and that it is a gentle way to move wine. Oh and standing up while bottling.

 

[Brettanomyces]

I'm new to wine, but a long time brewer of beer, but I think I can shed some light on most of this.

1. The AIO wine pump has a filtering setup. It's detailed under the "accessories" part of the website.
2. A filter can do this, but only if you sterile filter. Coarser filters remove larger particles only. Reds, for example, are typically not sterile filtered.
3. This is true. But, the AIO has a bottling setup that comes with it. Other pumps can do multiple things (e.g., Buon Vino).

I think you're on the right track about some of the big categories of things you might want/need to do. Specific products often do more than one of these things, and maybe that's an opportunity to save money for you. Just need to set priorities and decide on a specific product.

 

[Johnd]

Hi All,

So this harvest I'm going to be making my first big equipment purchase. Exciting! Quick check for understanding with all you experts:

1. An all-in-one pump degasses - really helpful for kits, not necessarily for wine made for grapes, but doesn't filter (I may be incorrect with this one, or maybe I'm looking at the wrong piece of equipment)
2. A filter removes all of the possible bacteria leftovers that can cause spoilage, but doesn't degas
3. A filler fills the bottles, but doesn't degas or filter - though the Enolmatic looks like it gets rid of oxygen, but not CO2.

What am I missing? I'm thinking #2 is my priority.

Cheers!

1. The AIO definitely filters, just need to get one ordered with the whole house filter attachment, @vacuumpumpman can hook you up if you're interested.
2. A filter with media at .45 microns or smaller will remove yeast, eliminating the need for potassium sorbate in sweetened wine. Filtering with sterile filters will not take the place of good sulfite management practices to prevent bacterial / microbial / oxidation problems.
3. The AIO also can fill bottles with the proper attachments.

If the three things you listed are your priority from a piece of equipment, the AIO does all of the things you are looking for, at much less investment than three different pieces of equipment to accomplish the things you listed.
Personally, I own a vacuum pump for racking and degassing, a Buon Vino Super Jet filter for filtering, and a different setup for bottling, all were acquired before knowledge of the AIO. If I could start over, I'd only own the AIO.

 

[Ignoble Grape]

AIO Plus Attachments seems to be getting the most votes here - thank you! Thank you!

 

[dralarms]

Have to chime in for the all in one also

 

[tjgaul]

I was 2 years into winemaking before buying the AIO pump. Best $$ I've spent in this hobby. So many benefits - degassing - limited cleanup (two racking canes and one tube) - no need to place source carboy above target carboy - and it's pretty fast. I've never filtered with it, but I'd go with cmason (as usual) and say that if you're bulk aging for any decent period of time then filtering really is not necessary.

 

[jgmann67]

Definitely an AIO fan here. Had mine going on three years and would have a difficult time making wine without it.

You might also take a look at the bottle prep and carboy cleaning options Steve has at AIO too.

Also, if you don’t have one, invest in a Portuguese or Italian floor corker... worth every penny.

 

[Ignoble Grape]

Definitely an AIO fan here. Had mine going on three years and would have a difficult time making wine without it.

You might also take a look at the bottle prep and carboy cleaning options Steve has at AIO too.

Also, if you don’t have one, invest in a Portuguese or Italian floor corker... worth every penny.

Thanks! Will look into them. Got the floor corker last year... Wine bottling experience was revolutionized!

 

[Ignoble Grape]

So I got the AIO - going to be trying it out today. Also go the filter setup, excited to try it on my apple wine that's ready to bottle.

Also got a crusher destemmer off of Craigslist. I know I was only looking at 1 piece of equipment, but it's Craigslist, so... This piece of equipment is a work of art! Amazingly maintained. Absolutely gorgeous. Just need some grapes...

 

[mainshipfred]

Congrats on 2 great purchases. Now all you need is a press if you don't already have one.

 

[NorCal]

Nice start on the equipment to make carboy quantities of wine.

Don’t count on filtering to remove bacteria or yeast, only fine sediment. I don’t think you will find an affordable .45 micron filter. Just keep everything sanitized, nothing, I mean nothing touches the wine unless it has been sanitized. Buy the best fruit you can get, keep vessels full with the proper amount of SO2, give your red wines some time and you will be happy with your results.

 

[Ignoble Grape]

Nice start on the equipment to make carboy quantities of wine.

Don’t count on filtering to remove bacteria or yeast, only fine sediment. I don’t think you will find an affordable .45 micron filter. Just keep everything sanitized, nothing, I mean nothing touches the wine unless it has been sanitized. Buy the best fruit you can get, keep vessels full with the proper amount of SO2, give your red wines some time and you will be happy with your results.

Thanks, NorCal - I've been fretting over the filter quality. Am keeping things topped up, and sanitized. Haven't had wine go bad yet, but haven't been keeping it for more than a year.

The All in One said filters are single use.

I purchased several to get me through bottling - do you think it's single use per wine? Or single use per day of filtering? It seems like a waste if you're only doing small lots.

 

[NorCal]

Thanks, NorCal - I've been fretting over the filter quality. Am keeping things topped up, and sanitized. Haven't had wine go bad yet, but haven't been keeping it for more than a year.

The All in One said filters are single use.

I purchased several to get me through bottling - do you think it's single use per wine? Or single use per day of filtering? It seems like a waste if you're only doing small lots.

I have found that my best wines involved doing as little as possible. I would only filter the wine if there is a reason you need to do it. I’ve let my reds age 12-18 months before bottling and have not seen a need to filter. I’ve filtered my whites about half the time. Wine goes bad when exposed to oxygen. A filter that has been exposed to oxygen for a day would be risky in my opinion. Acetobacter bacteria needs alcohol and oxygen and can ruin wine. After all the time and $ to create a wine, it’s just not worth taking a chance for the cost of the filter.

 

[Boatboy24]

The All in One said filters are single use.

I purchased several to get me through bottling - do you think it's single use per wine? Or single use per day of filtering? It seems like a waste if you're only doing small lots.

It would be single use per day of filtering, in my opinion. You could go through a lot of wine before needing to change the filter. So just plan it out, and do all of your filtering at one time. I haven't used them in a while, but IIRC, the filters are only a few bucks. Not worth trying to save/reuse.

 

[Michael Alspaugh]

Have to chime in for the all in one also

My wife doesn't even work with me on the wine making but when she comes in the room when I'm using THE ALL IN ONE PUMP she says "WOW THIS THING IS AWESOME"!!!!