Unfiltered and Unfined

Filtering wines of their impurities prior to bottling is a technique steeped in controversy. Many good winemakers feel that this process, actually passing the wine through a membranous filter, not only removes the particulate matter, but invariably some of the nuance or character of the wine. Filtering leaves the wine crystal clear with little sediment. “Fining” is a different technique in which an agent, like activated charcoal or even egg white, is dropped into the wine and as it sinks to the bottom, collects the microscopic particles that can cloud the wine. This method also can be used to remove color from white wines or even flawed odors. Once the fining agent sinks to the bottom, the wine is “racked” to skim off the top clean wine. Racking involves siphoning the wine from the top into a new vessel, leaving the bottom impurities in the original cask. Racking can be used in conjunction with filtering and fining, or by itself to remove any particulate matter which may cloud the wine. Winemakers are typically vehement in their selected method, and often list their choice on the label. Wines listed as “unfiltered and unfined” use racking or other “natural” methods to remove particles without losing the ultimate character of the wine. Do not be surprised to find small bits of sediment in red wines listed this way. My personal experience is that these wines carry with them the body and structure that I enjoy in a wine, at the expense of complete clarity that another may prefer. Smile when you see a little sediment. All the goodness that the wine gods intended have been left in the wine for your enjoyment.