I make exclusively country or fruit wines. A few have great difficulting
clearing and I very much like good color and clarity. I am right now for the
first time trying a Vinebrite Filter to filter 5 gallons of Pear Wine.
Oxidation is a concern of mine and my concern has increased due to the
speed, or lack thereof in this process. I am in my 15th hours and probably
two-thirds of the way through. Is this pace to be expected or am I doing
something wrong? The results look great.

Keith

"Hobbs Family" > wrote in message
...
>I make exclusively country or fruit wines. A few have great difficulting
>clearing and I very much like good color and clarity. I am right now for
>the first time trying a Vinebrite Filter to filter 5 gallons of Pear Wine.
>Oxidation is a concern of mine and my concern has increased due to the
>speed, or lack thereof in this process. I am in my 15th hours and probably
>two-thirds of the way through. Is this pace to be expected or am I doing
>something wrong?

As you suspect, you're doing something wrong. :^/

Cloudy wines are not good candidates for filtration. They have so much
suspended solids that they quickly blind the filter media and then the
throughput rate slows to a trickle, which is exactly what you're seeing.

For your next batch you need to get the wine to a point where it has no more
than a _slight_ haze prior to filtration. IOW, the wine should look like it
doesn't really need to be filtered. To achieve that may require fining, a
very long period of settling or both. Also, in the case of country wines
especially, a pectin haze may be the problem. You can deal with that by
treatment with a pectic enzyme - either pre or post fermentation, although
my preference is pre.

You have just learned the same lesson I learned in 1984, except I had close
to 200 gallons to deal with!

Tom S
www.chateauburbank.com

I make a lot of country wines and find that most will clear on their own in
6 to 9 months. If they do not or I want to force them clear I use
SuperClear. It is a two step clearing process. You rack to a bucket, stir
in a packet of stuff, wait a few min's and stir in a second packet of a
different stuff. Then put it back in a carboy under an airlock. It usually
is clear the next morning but I give it a week just to be sure. Amazing
stuff.

Ray

"Hobbs Family" > wrote in message
...
>I make exclusively country or fruit wines. A few have great difficulting
>clearing and I very much like good color and clarity. I am right now for
>the first time trying a Vinebrite Filter to filter 5 gallons of Pear Wine.
>Oxidation is a concern of mine and my concern has increased due to the
>speed, or lack thereof in this process. I am in my 15th hours and probably
>two-thirds of the way through. Is this pace to be expected or am I doing
>something wrong? The results look great.
>
> Keith
>
>