Vinbrite: how long should it take?

[Simon Patric Oon]

I'm just filtering my first batch of wine and it's taking longer than I think it should; have I don't anything wrong?

This is a red wine (merlot) kit wine and I've already done the fermentation, added all the chemicals (e.g. stabiliser, finings, etc.), waited 24 hours for it to clear and siphoned it from the sediment (leaving that behind).

I'm now doing the filtering with the vinbrite using a filtabrite pad. It's been going 2 hours and it's only done 5L. Is this too slow? Any ideas why?

I did run 2.5L of cold water through it to prep it, as it said online. The rate the wine is running through hasn't really slowed, and the wine before filtering is looking pretty clear, so I don't think the filter is clogged already. It's just going really slow and I don't know why it's doing that/of its supposed to...

Thanks

 

[Johnd]

I'm just filtering my first batch of wine and it's taking longer than I think it should; have I don't anything wrong?

This is a red wine (merlot) kit wine and I've already done the fermentation, added all the chemicals (e.g. stabiliser, finings, etc.), waited 24 hours for it to clear and siphoned it from the sediment (leaving that behind).

I'm now doing the filtering with the vinbrite using a filtabrite pad. It's been going 2 hours and it's only done 5L. Is this too slow? Any ideas why?

I did run 2.5L of cold water through it to prep it, as it said online. The rate the wine is running through hasn't really slowed, and the wine before filtering is looking pretty clear, so I don't think the filter is clogged already. It's just going really slow and I don't know why it's doing that/of its supposed to...

Thanks

You probably should have waited longer before racking off of the sediment and trying to filter, sometimes you get an initial drop of lots of sediment, followed by a slower clearing over the next couple of weeks. These filters operate off of siphon action and can be slow, particularly when the wine isn't already pretty clear to start with. I suspect that your filter pad is probably clogged with the stuff that's already been filtered out, which slows it down.
The larger the difference in elevation between the wine being filtered and the target vessel, the stronger the siphon pressure will be, increasing that difference may help some. You might also consider stopping where you are and changing to a new filter pad if the old one is indeed clogged up. It may take a few filters to get through the carboy if your wine was still cloudy to start with, but your wine should be a good bit clearer after you finally get it all to run through. After you get through the carboy the first time, you might try running it through again with another new pad to polish it up nicely...

 

[Trevor7]

This is a red wine (merlot) kit wine and I've already done the fermentation, added all the chemicals (e.g. stabiliser, finings, etc.), waited 24 hours for it to clear and siphoned it from the sediment (leaving that behind).

Kind of curious as to which Merlot kit you're doing...? Most all kits I have done have you wait ~4-6 weeks after adding the chemicals for the wine to clear on its own. As @Johnd said, your filter's probably clogged.

 

[DoctorCAD]

Your filter is clogged. Never filter a cloudy wine, let it sit until you can see through it with a flashlight.

 

[ibglowin]

The vinbrite is for polishing only. Your filter is definitely clogged.