Little White Crystals

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- Don and Lisa Kerber
  
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posted
20 years ago

Fri, Jan 30, 2004 3:59 AM

I've developed some little white tasteless crystals that have precipitated out of my wines after they were bottled.

I haven't had this in the past. I do know that my wine storage area is a bit colder then usual. It's been a bit colder in Milwaukee this winter then normal. That is about the only thing I can think of that is different then last winters batches.

Can anyone offer up some suggestions. The wines taste good, but my wife doesn't want to give any of it away with these little crystals at the bottom of the bottle. Well I guess there is some good news in this. It'll leave more for me!

Thanks

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- David C Breeden
  
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posted
20 years ago

Fri, Jan 30, 2004 12:00 PM

If these are grape wines, the crystals are just potassium bitartrate, the potassium salt of tartaric acid, the main acid in grapes.

They're completely harmless.

Dave

**************************************************************************** Dave Breeden snipped-for-privacy@lightlink.com

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- Joe Sallustio
  
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posted
20 years ago

Fri, Jan 30, 2004 12:23 PM

Don, Those are harmless tartrate crystals preciptitated by the cold. Most winemakers chill the wine below at least 40 F to remove them on purpose, it's called cold stabilization. Excess tartratic acid naturally precipitates out as it gets colder, thats why it crystalized when it got cooler.

It's a good thing actually. Refrigerators usually are set at ~ 36 to

40 F. When the wine was bottled and left in the fridge for a few days, the crytals might have formed anyway, you just hastened that process this time. It can soften a tart wine since tartaric acid is the stronger of the natural acids also.

Europeans would not consider the crystals a wine fault since it is a normal progression of winemaking.

Hope that helps.

Regards, Joe

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- Paul S. Remington
  
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posted
20 years ago

Fri, Jan 30, 2004 12:53 PM

Sounds like you have some potassium bitartrate crystals that have formed as a result of the colder-than-usual conditions. Did you cold stabilize the wine prior to bottling?

The crystals are harmless. If you pour the wine into a decanter and then pour it from there into a wine glass, you're apt to get less particles in the glass. Although, the crystals are heavy and they may just settle on the bottom of the bottle without leaching into the glass upon pouring.

-Paul