I am a relatively new home winemaker that uses various winexpert kits
for now. I am curious as to whether it would be prudent to filter or
strain my wine just before bottling or is it really not necessary. If
it is appropriate, can anyone kindly recommend a specific
filtering/straining cloth? Thank you!!!!!

> wrote in message
ps.com...
>I am a relatively new home winemaker that uses various winexpert kits
> for now. I am curious as to whether it would be prudent to filter or

I've made five kits now, and as long as your patient and follow the
directions,
they should clear on theri own. I haven't had to filter anything yet.

Filtering is a tool. There are those here who filter most everything and
those here that filter nothing. You develope a style of making wine
accordingly. I have made wine for about 35 years and never filtered and
never bottled a cloudy wine.

Ray

> wrote in message
ps.com...
>I am a relatively new home winemaker that uses various winexpert kits
> for now. I am curious as to whether it would be prudent to filter or
> strain my wine just before bottling or is it really not necessary. If
> it is appropriate, can anyone kindly recommend a specific
> filtering/straining cloth? Thank you!!!!!
>

THANK YOU VERY MUCH!
Ray Calvert wrote:
> Filtering is a tool. There are those here who filter most everything and
> those here that filter nothing. You develope a style of making wine
> accordingly. I have made wine for about 35 years and never filtered and
> never bottled a cloudy wine.
>
> Ray
>
> > wrote in message
> ps.com...
> >I am a relatively new home winemaker that uses various winexpert kits
> > for now. I am curious as to whether it would be prudent to filter or
> > strain my wine just before bottling or is it really not necessary. If
> > it is appropriate, can anyone kindly recommend a specific
> > filtering/straining cloth? Thank you!!!!!
> >

Ditto here. Our gang pressed 20-30 cases of grapes annually;7 yrs making
reds w/o filtering, w/o clouding, no complaints from gift recipients. We
don't compete, so we don't need to polish our product & we're too cheap to
buy a machine & be married to buying filters every year! We're firmly
(stubbornly?) in the Non Filtre camp...


> wrote in message
ups.com...
> THANK YOU VERY MUCH!
> Ray Calvert wrote:
>> Filtering is a tool. There are those here who filter most everything and
>> those here that filter nothing. You develope a style of making wine
>> accordingly. I have made wine for about 35 years and never filtered and
>> never bottled a cloudy wine.
>>
>> Ray
>>
>> > wrote in message
>> ps.com...
>> >I am a relatively new home winemaker that uses various winexpert kits
>> > for now. I am curious as to whether it would be prudent to filter or
>> > strain my wine just before bottling or is it really not necessary. If
>> > it is appropriate, can anyone kindly recommend a specific
>> > filtering/straining cloth? Thank you!!!!!
>> >
>

I have been making wine from kit almost 11 years now. I have not
filtered for the last four years.

Guy

To filter or not to filter, aye that is the question.

As you can see from other's responses it is definitely optional. It
is important to bottle clear wine which will not set firther sediment.
This is not usually possible in the 4 to 6 weeks in a kit's
instructions. It will require additional time & rackings. Some
people double up on the clearing agents to help the wine to clear.

Simply put, it's your choice.

Personally, I filter, even though I usually give my kits extra time
and a couple of extra rackings. WHY? Because I think it makes the
wine look better...shine...sparkle.

I believe you asked (sorry deleted the original message) about
filtering equipment. For most home winemakers I would recommend Buon
Vino's Mini Jet. Depending on where you live, your LHBS may rent you
one.

Good Luck, Steve

I don't think I've ever filtered a red wine, and I've never filtered a
kit wine. I have on occasion filtered a white or lighter fruit wine
just to give it a polished look. I have little interest in drinking
many of my fruit wines, most are made for the love of the sport and to
gift to others. Hence, their appearance is more important than if it
were for my own consumption. I use a Buon Vino mini jet filter system
that I purchased on ebay for that purpose.

Paul

I used to be part owner of a Buon Vino plate filter. For a few years
I filtered EVERYTHING. I started out using all three grades of filter
pads and shifted to just #1 and #2.

Then I stopped -- I decided filtering wasn't needed, that it wastes
wine, and it's an extra step (or 2 or 3) that offer opportunities for
contamination. IMO filtering simply speeds up what time will do
anyway.

But that is merely my opinion. I've known people who consider
filtering as essential as racking. It's part of their process.

Are they wrong? Hell, no! But neither am I ... :-)

As others have commented, filtering is a personal choice. I've got a
'98 metheglin that sat clear in the carboy for 1 year and dropped a
bit of fine sediment 2 weeks after bottling. I've also had numerous
wines that sat clear for 3 months and never dropped a bit of sediment
in the year or three until the last bottom was consumed ... :-)

If you can borrow a filter, try it and decide if it does what YOU want
it to do. I don't recommend buying one unless you're fairly sure
you'll want to make it part of your process.

Bryan



On 28 Nov 2006 21:11:51 -0800, wrote:

>I am a relatively new home winemaker that uses various winexpert kits
>for now. I am curious as to whether it would be prudent to filter or
>strain my wine just before bottling or is it really not necessary. If
>it is appropriate, can anyone kindly recommend a specific
>filtering/straining cloth? Thank you!!!!!

> As others have commented, filtering is a personal choice. I've got a
> '98 metheglin that sat clear in the carboy for 1 year and dropped a
> bit of fine sediment 2 weeks after bottling. I've also had numerous
> wines that sat clear for 3 months and never dropped a bit of sediment
> in the year or three until the last bottom was consumed ... :-)
>
> If you can borrow a filter, try it and decide if it does what YOU want
> it to do. I don't recommend buying one unless you're fairly sure
> you'll want to make it part of your process.
>

I have a Mini Jet and use it once in a blue moon for sweet whites.
Renting one to see it it's for you is a great idea.

Joe