Wine Filtering and Fining (MoreWine!)
Both fining and filtration are treatments that can be done to further polish or finish the wine just before bottling.
Fining works by introducing an agent to the wine that physically binds with a targeted element, most commonly tannins or proteins.
Once the reaction finishes and the agglomeration precipitates out to the bottom of the vessel, the wine is racked to remove it from the sediment. Filtration works by passing the wine through a material that contains a series of very small holes (or “pores”) similar to a coffee filter. Liquid and particles small enough to fit through these holes are allowed to pass through; particles that are too large get held back and are effectively removed from the liquid. Depending on what is going on in our wines, we may decide to do one, both, or neither of these treatments. It all comes down to our personal winemaking philosophies and whether or not we feel the wine needs maintenance. Let’s take a quick look at both fining and filtration before we move onto bottling.
Fining
A red wine is usually fined in order to soften a harsh or astringent character and/or to improve clarification. Fining agents should be used at the lowest possible dosage needed to achieve the desired effect. Over dosage creates the risk of loss of mouthfeel, color, aroma and/or flavor. Yet, due to the complexity of the chemical structures in wine, different fining agents will be more or less effective at achieving a desired result. We strongly recommend conducting a bench trial first to determine which product gives the results you are looking for. Then, once this has been decided, do a second trial to determine the ideal dosage rate that will give the desired results for the least amount of product used.