Keeping sediment out of bottled wine

[homegrownSoIL]

So, every time I bottle a wine, it looks crystal clear. By the time I bottle, I've racked a dozen times, used fining agents, let it sit for months, etc., yet there always ends up being some floaties that accumulate in the bottom of the bottle after a few weeks.

What do you all do to avoid this? Filter? Black magic? It's embarrassing.

 

[pumpkinman2012]

I filter my white wines with a .45 micron filter after fining and cold stabilization.
As far as red wine, mine usually age for 1-2 years, during this time most all of the sediment has dropped out of suspension, one thing that you might be experiencing is wine diamonds, or wine crystals; these are in fact tartrate crystals, they are tiny, crystalline deposits that occur in wines when potassium and tartaric acid, both naturally occurring products of grapes, bind together to form a crystal.

If your wine is exposed to cool temperatures (my cellar stays at approx 47° - 50° in the winter), wine diamonds can form within one week at these temps. My wine is naturally put through cold stabilization thanks to mother nature, even though it isn't recommended for red wines, this is where I age, bottle and store my wine; I'll find bottled wines that have have wine crystals in them.
I don't mind them, they help to reduce the acidity even more, and frankly, if you are careful when you pour, there is no harm done.

If this isn't the case and you are talking about sediment in your wine bottles, you may need to age your wine longer.

 

[lukebuz]

Subscribed. I hear you, but without filtering, I haven't a clue! GRRRR

 

[homegrownSoIL]

When you say you "filter" with a .45 micron filter, what equipment/process are you using? That may well fix my issues.

I don't think they are tartrates :/

 

[bernardsmith]

It may simply require more aging....

 

[pumpkinman2012]

I'm going to try to avoid sounding like an infomercial,
I use the All In One wine Pump, this is one of the best purchases that I've made, not only can you rack without ever lifting a carboy, you can filter and get that polished competition worthy look, and bottle a case of wine in just a few minutes while never losing a drop of wine, furthermore, the wine or beer doesn't travel through the pump so there's no worry of any oil getting mixed into your wine, and the fact that it is a enclosed unit, oxidation isn't a worry.
I've seen the DIY pumps out there and even tried a few, they just don't compare to a tried and true vacuum pump like this.
This pump is well worth every penny.

I hope that this helps

 

[homegrownSoIL]

"If you need a machine and don’t buy it, then you will ultimately find that you have paid for it and don’t have it." - Henry Ford

I did a little research on the allinone. Neat. A little pricier than I would like, but if it works, what the heck, right? The Ford quote doesn't exactly apply since I'm not making (or losing) any business money. BUT, it may sound impressive enough to convince the wife I need one

 

[pumpkinman2012]

Once you use it, you'll regret not having purchased it sooner...lol
Just check out the 59 plus pages of positive feedback, it is really that good.