Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/744999
4 4 V I N E YA R D & W I N E RY M A N A G E M E N T | N o v - D e c 2 016 w w w. v w m m e d i a . c o m parameters that have been defined by the winemaker. "You don't have to do as much guesswork to opti- mize the process," says Della Tof- fola's Ken Kosmicki, who's been known to train customers on the optimal use of their new filtration system via Skype. With the ability to control filtration from a desktop or smartphone, gone are the days of babysitting — but seamless automation still relies on experi- enced operators. Mignotti likes to operate his fil- ters both manually and automati- cally. He believes if a winery uses its hollow fiber filter several times per year, the automation will work well. But, he cautions, with annual use, automation can "get stuck" as the machine ages or if winery has an infrequent operator. Until recently, integrating a filtra- tion step into the bottling line was a future scenario. But according to Pivetta, Elizabeth Grant-Douglas, director of winemaking at La Crema winery in Sonoma County, is doing just that. Grant-Douglas filters barrel-fermented lees with Padovan Dynamos directly into the fill basin of the bottling line. SENSORY QUALITY In a 2014 study conducted at UC Davis, the sensory and chemical effects of 0.22 micron polyethersul- fone hollow fiber membrane cross flow filtration on wine were evalu- ated and found to have a stabilizing effect on the sensory profiles of both white and red wines. In white wines, the effects of filtration were found to be signifi- cant for one sensory attribute out of 16. Similar analysis for the red wines saw a statistically signifi- cant difference in six out of 16 total sensory attributes. While chemical analysis showed statistically signifi- cant changes in color and phenols Stefano Mignotti of WineTech in Ameri- can Canyon, Calif., likes to operate his filters both manually and automatically. Innovative Solutions for your Cidery Equipment Needs 975 Corporate Center Parkway Suite 130 Santa Rosa, CA 95407 Phone: (707) 544-5300 Email: dtgroup@dellatoffola.us Website: www.dellatoffola.us Cross Flow Filtration with Ceramic Membranes