Filting wine help!!

This is my first real time making wine. And I was wondering to all you pro brewers and wine makers can you use a fish tank filtering set up to filter you wine?? Please give me all that advise that you can. Because I need a lot of help with this. Thanks

I'm going to hazard a guess and say no. Largely because the filtering system isn't really designed for the amount of sediment that you would be putting through it, and also because fish tank filters aerate the water. When filtering wine you want as little aeration as possible so as not to spoil the wine.

Dicky

Alright, thanks Dicky. What would you suggest to use as a filtering system?

A wine filter.

Dicky

I think you're supposed to be patient enough to let it fall clear, or humble enough to drink it cloudy (I am the second variety definitely!)

That said, I've gotten a little more mileage out of a mead with a lot of fruit at the bottom (same difference ya kno) by putting a paper towel or a coffee filter in a funnel and just filling it with the fruit sludge.. not really fit for bottling but great for a taste.

Alright thanks Twofish. Hahaha I kinda figured that Dicky haha. But could you use say a water filter to filter your wine?

Using a water filter would expose it to air. Wine filters can be expensive 30-40 USD I think. The three reasons I could even think to buy one would be if your entering a competition, obsessed with having it clear, or always rushing a wine and not letting it clear by itself.

baker1234 said:

This is my first real time making wine. And I was wondering to all you pro brewers and wine makers can you use a fish tank filtering set up to filter you wine?? Please give me all that advise that you can. Because I need a lot of help with this. Thanks

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I think this is a good idea as the filters can vary in size,and if there is a submersible pump I am sure it could be set up for wine.for racking only though as I think the must would be far to much for the sponges in a filter to take....go for it!
(don't forget to post and show us your setup)

Thanks ashfatboy. I will post a picture asap. Does anyone think that a Brita filter will work to filter the wine??

I've read about people filtering cider through "snakes" of activated charcoal to filter. While the humble Brita filter uses similar technology, it is designed for a bit more air contact than I would want with a fermented beverage.

It would be interesting to experiment with as I can't say I've read about using carbon filters on wine.

In doing a quick google search for "carbon filter snake" I found some instructions for using such devices with liquors. They recommended that the beverage be passed through a sterile wine filter (#3) prior to using the carbon filter. I also was unable to find instances of it being used for wine in the first few pages of results.

Alright thanks WhtHawk. I'll look in to the "snake" and how come during the fermentation period why can it not come in contact with air?

When you pitch your yeast, the yeast use the oxygen available in the must to reproduce instead of producing a lot of alcohol. After the oxygen is used, the yeast generally switch to fermentation and alcohol production.

A large number of the compounds found in fermenting and finished wine can react with oxygen to oxidize the wine. This oxidation can produce undesirable compounds such as acetaldehyde, loss of color, sherry flavors (assuming you don't want to make a sherry), and allow aerobic (oxygen using) micro-organisms that eat alcohol to grow. One of the most notorious is acetobacter that eats alcohol to produces acetic acid (vinegar).

While the above can make themselves present with relatively short oxygen exposure, the chemical reactions taking place may not be noticeable if you drink the wine in a short period of time. The effects of oxidation generally become more apparent as the wine ages.

Ooh ok. Thanks WhtHawk. So if the wine becomes oxidized then the wine is basically ruined right at least in the long term?

baker1234 said:

Thanks ashfatboy. I will post a picture asap. Does anyone think that a Brita filter will work to filter the wine??

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Not a very good idea, I used to work for PUR water filters so I know a fair amount about these. Too little filtration surface would mean frequent clogging. They will typically filter in the 25-75 micron range, but you want to be in the 1-10 micron range to filter out yeast and sediment. Plus there is actiavated carbon and sometimes ion exchange resin in residential filters. Not good things for wine as flavors may be stripped or altered.

I think if you go through the normal process and rack one extra time, it will come out brilliantly clear. My parents whites are always crystal clear. I have a feeling it won't be hard for us to do this, once we move into whites. Racking and time are your friend.

solbes said:

Not a very good idea, I used to work for PUR water filters so I know a fair amount about these. Too little filtration surface would mean frequent clogging. They will typically filter in the 25-75 micron range, but you want to be in the 1-10 micron range to filter out yeast and sediment. Plus there is actiavated carbon and sometimes ion exchange resin in residential filters. Not good things for wine as flavors may be stripped or altered.

I think if you go through the normal process and rack one extra time, it will come out brilliantly clear. My parents whites are always crystal clear. I have a feeling it won't be hard for us to do this, once we move into whites. Racking and time are your friend.

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Alright thanks solbes. So before I rack the wine for the first time do I need to wait until it's is clear for rack it with it is semi cloudy?

I might know filters, but I don't know much about wine (Brewer mainly).

I am in the process of fermenting my first wine kit, so my advice there might not be very good. I followed the kit directions which stated to rack it once I hit 1.020 or so. I think this was on day 5 and it was still plenty cloudy. A bunch of yeast/sediment dropped out on day 2 or 3 in secondary.

Alright, ya I'm pretty new to this whole wine making and brewing stuff so and advice I can get will help. What type of a wine are you making from the kit?

Pinot Noir red, fermented to around 13.3%. Its still in secondary waiting to clear. After 10 days or so, I added the metabisulfate and clearing agents and mixed it all up. Supposed to be bottled or racked 14 days from that, but it'll be closer to 21 since we'll be on vacation. I'll rack to tertiary for 6-8 weeks after we get back. Then rack to bottling. Should be plenty clear for a red where it's not as critical.

Aside from the yeast bite, it tasted pretty decent after reaching terminal gravity. I'm hoping the oak cubes add some tannins and complexity as well.

Oh very nice! That sounds like it is going to be a great wine. So to put wine in to secondary fermentation do you have to move your wine into a new carboy?

you dont need a filter especially if your making concentrate, just let it clear, I dont even use any agents and my wine has zero sediment...it just takes time and proper racking

Honda88 said:

you dont need a filter especially if your making concentrate, just let it clear, I dont even use any agents and my wine has zero sediment...it just takes time and proper racking

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Alright. So how many times would be the recommended times for racking?

Haven't tried a fish filter but that's some out of the box thinking!

Water filters would work very nicely but the media has to be replaced for each wine filtering so costs would be substantial and there are large air spaces on start up so you will be exposing your wine to fresh air and then losing that volume when you have finished filtering.

There are some fine wine filters out there usually for rent at your local wine making shop and they will help you select the best filter for your production as well as give you good guidance on the filtering process.

Good luck.

baker1234 said:

Alright. So how many times would be the recommended times for racking?

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For kits, one or two rackings is fine at the times indicated. For non-kits, racking whenever the lees are 1/4" thick or more after 45 days or so, or ANY lees at 60 days, is good practice. Using 1 crushed and dissolved campden tablet at every other racking and topping up after each racking will minimize any risk of oxidation.

Alright. Where can you buy campden tablets?

online or at a brew shop

Alright thanks Honda88 I'll look for some.