Filtering the Icewine
I didn't filter the Vidal Icewine I made last year and it turned out pretty well. But apparently I was also tempting fate — every single winemaker I've spoken with this year has recommend I pass each wine through all three grades of filter pads in order to polish the wine and remove any dormant yeast cells that could come alive later.
So I started filtering all three Icewines tonight, though I decided to skip the #1 course filter step and went right to the #2 polish pads — all three wines were fairly clear to begin with, having had the last 4-5 months or so to settle.
This seemed to work out fine, and I was able to get all three wines through without having to change the pads. The gauge started at 18psi on the first wine, but the flow was strong. It moved up to 22 on the second wine, but was still strong. However, the last wine struggled to get through and the gauge finally topped out around 27psi, and the whole thing probably leaked 1/2 a liter. Still, it worked out well, and all three wines are now super-clear and settling nicely.
I'm going to filter with the #3 Sterile Filter pads on Wednesday or Thursday, before bottling on Saturday. Wish me luck.