Over several centuries of discovery, winemakers have intensified their quality control methods. One of the last steps before bottling is to clarify and remove all sorts of particles from the wine. Fermentation solids, yeast and bacteria, to name a few, need to be set aside to offer a clean and pleasing bottle of wine.

Early winemakers were only settling their wines, with lees settling in the bottom of containers. A style of amphora – or large storage jar – was the only method available to clarify wine. Interestingly, this style of amphora is coming back into fashion and is being used by a few wineries today.

Filtration in Modern Winemaking

 

Filtration in Modern Winemaking

However, more modern techniques have taken over the wine industry. Wineries small, medium and large have begun to invest in machines that provide a lot more security prior to bottling. The Plate and Frame Filter above or the Depth Filter below have been dominating the world of filtration, especially for smaller wineries. The Plate refers to the cellulose pads used for this application. Stainless-steel disks are used in depth filters as a support for the filtration binding material.

Filtration in Modern Winemaking

 

Filtration in Modern Winemaking

But what is wine filtration exactly? The graphic below describes the process involved during filtration. Wine goes through pipes and hoses and then is forced gently through a membrane.

Filtration in Modern Winemaking

This membrane can be sized according to the desired results of the final wine. In wine, there are no active organisms smaller than 0.5 microns (µm). Being an acidic liquid that contains alcohol, the chemistry of wine prevents the majority of organisms from living in it.

WineShop At Home works constantly with partners and vendors to ensure that your bottle is produced in the best conditions possible, day after day, month after month. Consistency throughout the bottling day is crucial.

Filtration in Modern Winemaking

An absolute rated filter of 0.45 µm is generally considered to result in a microbially stable wine. This size of filter insures that nothing will later spoil the wine during bottle ageing.

Our bottling facility is equipped with a state of the art Cross Flow Filter, which guarantees that every drop of wine gets treated and cleaned. The graphic below illustrates the difference between a Pad and Depth Filter and a Cross Flow, or Tangential Filter.

Filtration in Modern Winemaking

Below you can see a close-up picture of the cylindrical tubes. These are housed in the yellow colored tube pictured in the Cross Flow Filter above. A gentle chemical and ozonated water is used in between each wine to avoid cross contamination.

Filtration in Modern Winemaking

Today, very few wineries dare to produce totally unfiltered wines. WineShop At Home invests in the latest technology to provide flawless quality and a sense of safety when our wines are enjoyed with family, friends and during a Wine Tasting.

So go ahead give your corkscrews a workout, you are safe to proceed & enjoy to your heart’s content!