soapy taste after filtering

[montanarick]

Yikes!

 

[robert81650]

Thanks, Rice Guy.....................

 

[KumaLisa46]

Let us know about the response from the filter manufacturer.........................

Still awaiting the test results from the manufacturer. COVID has likely put a damper on things. The Buon Vino company is very concerned and is also awaiting the results. Definitely the #2 pads as the coarse ones were fine.

 

[user 36973]

I bought a plate and frame filter from a winery that was closing. They gave me a few boxes of leftover filter pads that they cautioned were a 'little old'.

The date code indicated they were about 6 years from manufacturing but unopened. I opened the pack to check them out and when I wetted them before placing them in, I noted they had a musty aroma. I filtered 10 gallons of water with it to check and the water smelled musty too. Decided to dump the old filters and use the new ones I already had. Hated to toss over $500 of filter pads but better than getting musty wine from them.

So, yes, storage conditions play an important role in ensuring quality filters.

 

[MB wino]

Any updates on whether the taste/smell fades with time?

Same experience today with #2 pads. Frustrating!

 

[KumaLisa46]

I have a mini jet, the instructions are pretty specific about not flushing it with anything but water

Yes, that's what I did

 

[KumaLisa46]

The supplier wants to know this has happened.
We have had a similar defect in instant rice. When the problem was tracked down, it was the distribution warehouse was keeping our food next to a slot that had Irish Spring soap. Drier sheets have an equally aggressive perfume.

Try ordering pads from a different part of the country/supply chain.

I have tried new pads with different manufacture stamp on it. They were perfect.

 

[KumaLisa46]

Any updates on whether the taste/smell fades with time?

Same experience today with #2 pads. Frustrating!j

Any updates on whether the taste/smell fades with time?

Same experience today with #2 pads. Frustrating!

In my case, the soapy taste did not disipate after cellaring.

 

[MB wino]

Sorry to hear it did not improve. Thanks for responding.

FYI - I decided not to bottle and added a few ounces of oak chips and biolees in the hope they might improve my Cab. After a week, I racked and noticed a big improvement. I then clarified the wine hoping for the best. The result was decent. I lost aroma (compared to my Cab that wasn’t filtered) but the soap smell and taste is greatly diminished.

 

[hounddawg]

i am no where close to yawls level, and i do sweet country wines, but setting to the side and just reading, it seems to me the one common factor is paper filters, just my 2 cents, since i read on here for 2 years before joining, all of my wines are spun polypropylene filters, never once (knock on wood) have i ever had so much as a hint of trouble, maybe because I'm to dumb to know the difference, i don't sell wine, but i sell fruit, labels, corks, chemicals bottles,,, ECT, All of my "friends" are row crop farmers, business men, ECT and all multimillionaires,, when they bring me bottles they bout from other places all have price stickers of $94.50 and up per bottle,, yet this poor dumb hillbilly, gets lots of "friends",, and have yet from around 2012 thru now have never had a single complaint, there are tons of threads on here about soapy taste and all seem to go back to paper, just my 2 cents, from a poor old hillbilly.
but a whole house filter, and buying spun polyproline filters 1 micron for whites, 5 microns for reds, and a case of 25 micron for initial rack from ferment barrel to secondary, on e-bay buying by the case of 50 runs about $1 to $1,30 per filter, and can be washed frozen and reused a few times,
this is just my opinion and no offence meant at all.
SKOAL
Dawg

 

[MB wino]

Dawg,
Good idea - ordered a new filter set up this week. No more paper for me - thanks!

 

[KumaLisa46]

Let us know about the response from the filter manufacturer.........................

Received immediate response from Buon Vino with equally rapid followup; they are very concerned. The filters are manufactured at an offsite company. The actual filter supplier was not as quick to respond and, of course, found no issues from their end when they did. So…the issue has NOT been resolved. I have had further issues even after following the recommendations from both companies. It's the No. 2 pads. Even running plain water through! No issues with the other pads (1 & 3). I did find a great batch of No. 2s so I ended up buying a number of them. Still, once in a while I'll grab one from the old supply and it's soapy. Like I filtered through a Bounce sheet. The flavour does not dissipate after bottling. At this point, I find that there is no need to pursue further as there will not be a resolve to the issue other than finding another means to filter. I'm careful now with the process and make sure I taste/smell the pads prior to filtering. If they are "soapy", I throw them out (sadly). Note: The supplier has been made aware of this forum but says "it's an old thread".

 

[montanarick]

Well that's certainly a bummer

 

[hounddawg]

Dawg,
Good idea - ordered a new filter set up this week. No more paper for me - thanks!

how's that new filter setup working out for you?
Dawg

 

[carpcellars]

Thanks for posting this. I had bought a bulk pack in 2017 everything since then came out fine. Filtered a Riesling in Dec 2021 came out with a soapy taste and still taste of soap months later. Ran water through filters from bulk batch and that tasted of soap. Tossing that batch of filters out. Used to keep those in the wine cellar until I ran out of room, then they had been in several storage area’s throughout the house. So, i have a new protocol to filtering, sample before running the rest through filter & store filter pads in a controlled environment.

 

[MB wino]

how's that new filter setup working out for you?
Dawg

I added the filter set up to my existing all in one. Worked pretty slick and no more worries about soapy taste.

 

[KumaLisa46]

Thanks for posting this. I had bought a bulk pack in 2017 everything since then came out fine. Filtered a Riesling in Dec 2021 came out with a soapy taste and still taste of soap months later. Ran water through filters from bulk batch and that tasted of soap. Tossing that batch of filters out. Used to keep those in the wine cellar until I ran out of room, then they had been in several storage area’s throughout the house. So, i have a new protocol to filtering, sample before running the rest through filter & store filter pads in a controlled environment.

Yes, that's what I'm doing now too, until I find a new filtering machine that is dependable. It's so unfortunate and clearly (no pun intended), by this thread, is a huge problem. The supplier of the filters said that there were no issues from his end and he did not want the pads I'd used for investigative purposes. Buon Vino was very concerned but I guess has to rely on his supplier. And so we are stuck with Bounce-like wine. All name brand number 2 filters. Best thing to do is taste your filters before you use them!

 

[zosa]

I joined this forum for this specific post. I thought I was losing my mind.

I have been using the Buon Vino Mini Jet for at least 15 years with great results for my hobby winery. In the past couple of years I have noticed (intermittently} a slight floral or soapy taste on some of my filtered white wines. As stated, I have been doing this for a while so I immediately reviewed my cleaning processes to be certain I did not introduce this off flavor.

Last month I filtered my rose' first cleaning and rinsing my equipment carefully. As a quick check I sampled my wine before filtering and it tasted fine so I started the filtering process. A sample halfway through the filtering had a strong floral soapy smell and taste. I suspect the number 2 filter pads as root cause. Not sure if the wine is salvageable. This is too bad as the unit worked excellent for over 15 years.

I sent an inquiry to More Wine to see what they had to say.

 

[carpcellars]

Welcome aboard. Since my Jan 2020 post I have filtered 4 varieties of whites at different times. I made sure that there was no dryer sheets, fragrant trash can liner, laundry soap around when I’m soaking or storing the filter ( I also taste & smell the flush water that is ran through filter). They have came out fine. Some home wine makers operate in their garage which is also where the washer & dryers are. Therefore the laundry soap, dryer sheets and maybe the fragrant trash can liners are stored. Those filters do a great job at removing particulates from wine and the same physics can impart unwanted flavors. As with sterilization/cleaning before & after any winery operation check for pleasant and foul odors in the space. Remember to use all your senses. Cheers

 

[KumaLisa46]

Welcome aboard. Since my Jan 2020 post I have filtered 4 varieties of whites at different times. I made sure that there was no dryer sheets, fragrant trash can liner, laundry soap around when I’m soaking or storing the filter ( I also taste & smell the flush water that is ran through filter). They have came out fine. Some home wine makers operate in their garage which is also where the washer & dryers are. Therefore the laundry soap, dryer sheets and maybe the fragrant trash can liners are stored. Those filters do a great job at removing particulates from wine and the same physics can impart unwanted flavors. As with sterilization/cleaning before & after any winery operation check for pleasant and foul odors in the space. Remember to use all your senses. Cheers

Thank you for the information. I'm sure everyone here is happy to hear that your experience has been positive. The rest of us have not been so lucky even with flushing the filters with water. Personally speaking, there has been NO contact between my filters and anything fragrant in my home. No laundry soap, dryer sheets or fragrant trash can liners. It is the filters themselves that are "soapy". In particular, the issue is with the No. 2 filters from Buon Vino. These filters are an issue right from the manufacturer even though they are wrapped in plastic. I am also not sure who does their laundry in their garage, but I do not. I have a wine room that is scent free, cleaned after each use and all equipment is sterilized. I have never had this happen in all my years of winemaking until recently. Hopefully others will reach out to Buon Vino as I have with this issue and then perhaps they will get to the bottom of the issue or lose customers.