"Joe Sallustio" > wrote in message
oups.com...
>I hate using sorbate too but use it anyway since there is no way I can
> guarantee sterility in my cellar, it's impossible on the scale I work
> at.

I've been reading this thread and decided to comment on a couple of points.

First off, you shouldn't find sterile filtration to be that daunting. I've
done it at home and had no problems with re-fermentation in vitro. It isn't
necessary to remove every last yeast cell before bottling. That's pretty
much impossible to accomplish even at a commercial winery. You do need to
run the wine through a sterile membrane filter though, and they are
expensive. Fortunately, they are also reusable if used correctly and will
last a_long_ time if you run nothing but well filtered wine through them.
You also need to be sure the wine has adequate sulfite prior to bottling.

Secondly, if you folks are having trouble with filter media loading up on
you, it's probably because the wine wasn't clarified sufficiently prior to
filtration. The best candidates for filtration are wines that really don't
_look_ like they need to be filtered.

Here's a little tip: A light bentonite fining (1 or 2 lbs./1000 gal.) aids
filtration by dropping out mucilaginous sugars that are invisible to the
eye, but tend to blind filter media. Most winemakers don't think reds
require bentoniting, but you and the wines certainly can benefit from it.

Tom S
www.chateauburbank.com