Stirred, not Shaken

Elise StimacWine making

Final comparative view of Three Feathers 2016 Pinot Noir before and after filtration in preparation of bottling on July 6.
Three Feathers Vineyard vintage 2016 unfiltered Pinot Noir awaits filtration

Three Feathers Vineyard vintage 2016 unfiltered Pinot Noir awaits the filtration process via Pall Industries Oenoflow technology (behind right).

Extraction tube is put into place so that the wine flows into the Oneoflow filtration machine.

Extraction tube is put into place so that the wine flows into the Oenoflow Filtration machine by Pall Industries.

Patented Pall XL Modules containing Pall's inert filtration memb

Patented Pall XL Modules containing Pall’s PVDF membrane and Back Pulse which exercises a reverse flow direction allows wine to maintain unrestricted contact with the membrane to ensure an efficient filtration.

Dan Duryee, winemaker at Lady Hill Winery, samples a glass of fi

Dan Duryee, winemaker at Lady Hill Winery, samples a glass of filtered Three Feathers 2016 vintage Pinot Noir directly from the Pall Oenoflow XL filtration machine.

Two comparison glasses of Three Feathers 2016 vintage Pinot Noir

Before and After Filtration. Two comparison glasses of Three Feathers 2016 vintage Pinot Noir; filtered (right) and unfiltered (left).

Vertical full length view of the Pall Oenoflow XL Filtration mac

Vertical full length view of the Pall Oenoflow XL Filtration machine busy filtering our Three Feathers 2016 vintage Pinot Noir.

Finishing filtration of Three Feathers 2016 Pinot Noir, good to

In order to finish filtration of every last drop of Three Feathers 2016 Pinot Noir, Dan and his team tip over the vat.

Final comparative view of Three Feathers 2016 Pinot Noir before

Final comparative view of Three Feathers 2016 Pinot Noir before and after filtration in preparation of bottling on July 6.

Stirred, not Shaken: Clarification of our 2016 Three Feathers Pinot Noir

We received a text message from Dan Duryee, our winemaker at Lady Hill Winery, to say that our Three Feathers 2016 vintage Pinot Noir would go through the filtration process that day.

“Is there anything to photograph?”, Christine texted back.

Up pops a photograph of a strange machine and the line “I’ll let you be the judge of that”.

I am pleased to say that I was not disappointed. Pall Industries’ Oenoflow XL is a fascinating machine combining state-of-the art technology with clinical know-how. Delicate membranes made of polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) sift out the suspended particles during the wine clarification process in one since process step, thus avoiding centrifugation or other filter aids. Non-aggressive and efficient, this inert filtration membrane system helps to preserve the taste and balance of complex fluids such as wine. An unappealing metaphor would liken the event to dialysis, but the comparison is realistic.

It was exciting to hold up samples of our 2016 Three Feathers Pinot Noir “before” and “after” clarification. Ready to bottle on July 6.