The Art of Unfiltered Winemaking – Why Natural Settling Tastes Better

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Discover why Post House Wines bottles its red wines unfiltered. Learn how minimal intervention preserves natural flavor, body, and character.

Pure & Unfiltered: Why We Keep Our Wines Natural

If you hold a glass of Post House red wine up to the light, you will immediately notice something different. Instead of a translucent, thin liquid, you see intense color opacity, deep ruby hues, and a rich, mouth-coating viscosity.

That visual depth is no accident. It is the direct result of a conscious cellar choice we made decades ago: we bottle our red wines unfiltered and unfined.

In a commercial wine world increasingly dominated by mass industrial processing and heavy filtration, choosing to leave wine unfiltered might seem like a risk. But to us, it is the single most important decision we make to protect the soul, flavor, and texture of our Raithby terroir.

Here is a deep dive into what unfiltered winemaking actually means, why filtered wines often lose their magic, and what you can expect when opening a bottle of natural Post House red.

What Does “Filtering” and “Fining” Actually Do to Wine?

To understand why unfiltered wine tastes so remarkable, it helps to first understand what standard industrial filtration does to a bottle of wine.

After a red wine finishes fermenting and aging in oak barrels, it naturally contains microscopic particles: spent yeast cells (lees), natural grape proteins, seed tannins, and color compounds (anthocyanins).

In large-scale commercial winemaking, producers prioritize perfect visual clarity and long shelf-stability above all else. To achieve this, they subject the wine to two mechanical processes:

  1. Fining: Adding stripping agents (such as bentonite clay, egg whites, or gelatin) to bind to suspended particles and force them to fall to the bottom of the tank.
  2. Filtration: Pushing the wine through tight mechanical filters (sometimes down to 0.45 microns) to trap every remaining microscopic particle before bottling.
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           FILTERED VS. UNFILTERED WINEMAKING
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• FILTERED WINES:    Mechanically stripped for crystal clarity; 
                     can lose delicate aromatics, body & aging potential.
• UNFILTERED WINES:  Allowed to settle naturally using gravity; 
                     retains natural fruit oils, full texture & complexity.
============================================================

While these processes guarantee a crystal-clear liquid, they come at a heavy cost. Fine filters do not distinguish between unwanted sediment and desirable flavor compounds. In stripping out the particles, mechanical filtration also strips away essential flavor molecules, aromatic ester oils, and natural grape tannins—effectively “strip-mining” the wine’s personality.

The Post House Philosophy: Time, Gravity & Natural Settling

At Post House, we believe that nature does a far better job of clarifying wine than any machine ever could.

Rather than forcing our red wines through tight mechanical screens, we rely on time and gravity.

1. Barrel Racking

During the 14 to 18 months our red wines spend maturing in French oak barrels, the heavy particles naturally settle to the bottom of the cask. Every few months, we carefully “rack” (pump) the clear wine off the top sediment layer into a fresh barrel, leaving the heavy solids behind without stripping the liquid.

2. Native Wild Yeast Fermentation

We ferment our grapes using native wild yeasts that live naturally in our Raithby vineyard blocks. Wild fermentation creates complex, multi-dimensional flavor precursor molecules. Leaving the wine unfiltered ensures these delicate wild-yeast aromatics remain intact inside the bottle.

3. Preserving “Mouthfeel” and Aging Potential

The natural proteins, colloidal compounds, and grape tannins left behind in an unfiltered wine give it a plush, velvety texture across the palate—what winemakers refer to as “mouthfeel”. Furthermore, these natural compounds act as antioxidants, helping the wine age gracefully in your cellar for decades.

Understanding Sediment: A Badge of Quality!

Because our red wines are bottled unfiltered, you may occasionally notice fine, dark sediment or small “wine diamonds” (harmless tartrate crystals) at the bottom of a glass or aged bottle.

+------------------------------------+------------------------------------+
| MYTH                               | REALITY                            |
+------------------------------------+------------------------------------+
| "Sediment means the wine is bad."  | FALSE! Sediment is natural grape   |
|                                    | material proving minimal processing|
| "Sediment changes the flavor."     | FALSE! It is completely harmless & |
|                                    | easily separated by decanting.     |
+------------------------------------+------------------------------------+

Don’t panic! Sediment is not a defect; it is a badge of honor indicating an authentic, minimally processed wine.

How to Serve Unfiltered Red Wine Like a Pro:

  1. Stand the Bottle Upright: If opening an older vintage, stand the bottle upright for 12 to 24 hours before serving so any loose sediment settles to the bottom.
  2. Decant Gently: Pour the wine slowly into a glass decanter in a continuous motion. Stop pouring when you see the dark sediment reach the neck of the bottle.
  3. Enjoy the Full Profile: Enjoy the unmatched depth, aromas, and rich texture that only unfiltered wine can deliver!

Taste the Difference for Yourself

Ready to experience red wines that retain their full natural character, body, and soul?

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