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.