Ultrafiltration technology is offered in New Zealand exclusively by Vintech Pacific. This is an advanced membrane technology that allows the ultra fine-tuning of wine, particularly by the selective adjustment of aroma, flavour, tannin and colour compounds in wine.
In Ultrafiltration, wine is passed tangentially over a membrane of specific porosity where undesirable compounds can be selectively removed based on molecular weight, while desirable components are retained in the wine.
Ultrafiltration is superior to other techniques used to address browning, tannin removal or minimizing botrytis character. Fining agents indiscriminately remove valuable phenolics, resulting in loss of aroma, mouth-feel and varietal character. Use of these agents also results in higher volume losses due to the lees they create. In contrast, ultrafiltration minimizes losses while producing valuable by-products for use in other wines.