Fining & Filtration

Question 1

Filtration

Answer 1

Centrifuge, Diatomaceous earth, pad filter, membrane filter, crossflow filter

Centrifuge:

• used by Ch Ste Michelle and other big brands. After initial - purchase is cost-saving because you don’t have to buy any pads. Process is easy, and loss is low.
  
  • They also use it to stop the ferment on a sweet wine. Separates out the yeast. More efficient than cooling and better than adding back RS.

Diatomaceous Earth:

• Many are moving away from this. Is considered a health risk
• Lenka MW says wineries in Lodi have huge piles of diatomaceous earth

Pad filters:
- can clog, and can fail

Membrane filters:

• absolute filtration
• can clog

Crossflow filters:

• Randy Dunn used one for two decades, claimed it leaked all the time and he lost a barrel of wine a year.
• benefit is it doesn’t clog

10 micron: bug catcher

0. 65 micron: yeast
1. 45 micron: bacteria AKA sterile

Question 2

Fining

Answer 2

Milk:

• Ch Ste Michelle fines their Chardonnay by adding full fat milk
  
  • 1 gallon of milk for 1,000 gallons of wine!
• Justin Knock at Rosemount in Australia would buy skim milk, cheaper than casein

Copper:

PVPP:

Bentonite:

Question 3

Order and timing

Answer 3

Order of fining/filtration at Ch Ste Michelle:
1. Milk (as this can add protein, must be first)
2 & 3. Copper & PVPP (this order doesn’t matter)
4. Bentonite- stabilizes proteins, must be last
5. Let settle 2 weeks
6. Rack off lees
7. Pad filter