Crystals sediment in my wine?
Fortunately, these crystalline sediments are not only the least likely to taste bad, but are treated by some as a sign of a better wine. So if you find crystal sediment in your wine glass, there's no reason to worry or fret. The crystal sediment you might find in a wine glass is called tartrate and forms from tartaric acid in grapes. Not all fruit has tartaric acid and its presence in grapes is what allows us to make better wines from grapes than can we can from any other fruit. Because tartaric acid doesn't remain dissolved in alcohol as easily as it does in grape juice, it binds to potassium after fermentation and forms potassium acid tartrates — the crystalline solids creating the sediment in your wine glass. Because red wines have probably been exposed to cold temperatures less than white wines, they are more likely form tartrate crystals. In theory all wines should probably form tartrate sediment, but modern wine production has introduced cold stabilization and fine filtration which remove most to all tartrates. More expensive wines that have been created according to more traditional methods, thus eschewing cold stabilization and filtration, are more likely to produce tartrate sediment. People who prefer the traditional methods of wine production, which includes a lot of wine drinkers around the world, will treat the presence of tartrate sediment as a sign of quality. The tartrate sediment in your wine glass or wine bottle won't hurt you if you consume it and it isn't going to ruin the flavor of your wine, so you don't need to worry about separating the crystals from your wine before serving and drinking. However, there is also no value in consuming this sediment so don't go out of your way to do so. I copied this discription from the internet, I would add, after the acid in the wine crystalizes and drops out that the wines become much softer. This is why the traditional method of wine making is so popular.
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SHOCKING
What is "bottle shock?" How can you tell if a wine has it? “Bottle Shock” is a reaction that occurs in wine immediately after corking, resulting from oxygen being absorbed during the bottling process. This small amount of oxygen introduced during this process will not usually oxidize or ruin your wine, but rather in the long run it helps during the maturation process. Bottle Shock is characterized by muted or disjointed fruit flavors in the wine. The wine may have a flat flavor and aroma, and may sometimes be accompanied by an off-putting odor. Bottle Shock can also be caused if sulfur dioxide is added during the bottling process, also affecting the flavors and odor of the wine. Bottle Shock is a temporary condition and your wine will need time to get over the shock of being transferred. The wine must rest and recover, working inside the bottle to reach a new equilibrium. There are no solid rules for how long the wine should rest in order for the Bottle Shock to dissipate. Some sources say a few days of rest will cure Bottle Shock. Others state that Bottle Shock dissipates within a few weeks. The amount of time required for the wine to rest will vary depending upon the variety of grape, vinting process, wine style, cellar conditions, size of bottle, etc. While many variables affect the equilibrium process, usually after 8-12 weeks, the Bottle Shock will subside. If your wine is heavy with tannins, the Bottle Shock recovery time may be even longer. Jack Keller states that “two months is long enough, but I give Pinot Noir three just because it is PN and doesn't act like other wines.” Bottle Shock is also sometimes referred to as “Bottle Sickness”, which more often refers to the condition resulting from shaking the wine causing any settled solids to stir up and to cloud the wine. Fragile wines shaken in travel can get bottle sickness. I had the opportunity the other day to sample the most text book perfect example of bottling shock that I have ever seen. So I would like to share this artical from the internet, it is a very god discription of bottling shock. |
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January 2016
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