Something like sand in bottom of bottle???

Sounds like tartate crystals, it's nothing to worry about. If a wine is not cold stable it will shed them. To make it cold stable you chill it to around 25 F for a week or two. It's really not a fault, if the wine was a little tart at bottling it will be less so now.

Joe

snipped-for-privacy@kenmac.net wrote:

I agree with Joe - surprised me and a friend the first time it happened to us. The crystals/"sand" don't have any real taste, but they are crunchy, so try not to drink them. The tartrate is obviously a salt of tartaric acid, which is why their presence likely means less tartness - you've captured some of the acid of the wine and dropped it to the bottom of the bottle. If you like that better, you can refrigerate the wine for a while (couple of weeks) before serving it, or, better, find a way to get the carboy cold for a couple of weeks, then bottle or rack, leaving the crystals behind.

Good luck.

Rob

If you were so inclined, you could save them and use them as cream of tartar in your cooking.

Thanks Guys,

I think I have put it together..... we went to Daytona in the RV and took a couple of cases of different wines.... When we got back I actually had to winterize the RV due to a cold snap we had for a couple of days... We foregot about them till later.... This makes since.... but the others didn't seem to have the same results....

Should I cold store all my dry's at the final racking in the carboy before filtering & bottling???

Thanks

If you want to avoid the crystals, yes.

The timing is not overly important, you can do it anytime after fermentation completes. Some people use the tartrates to compact the lees when they fine. I usually only fine whites and may or may not filter them. If I use bentonite I do that warm and then chill it to drop those tartrates, that's when I check the acid and adjust if necessary.

You probably want to do this before filtering, but I really can't see a problem doing it after either.

They can fall out with time too, it's not unusual to have some fall out a year or two later in a red for me.

Joe

snipped-for-privacy@kenmac.net wrote:

Let's say that after checking acids prior to cold stabilization that you find that an acid reduction is in order. Would you do your cold stabilization before or after the acid reduction?

Frank

Or make a DIY tartar sauce for seafood......

Hi Frank,

After, especially if you are using potassium bicarbonate. Cold stabilization temps will draw the acid down completely.

Joe

Hi Frank,

After, especially if you are using potassium bicarbonate. Cold stabilization temps will draw the acid down completely.

Joe

Sound like Tartaric crystals- not unusual given how heavy Amarone is.

If you have a too tart or too acid wine colld stablize for 2 weeks Reds and 4 Weeks whites in a old fridge in the Carboys . After a few days to a week add Cream of tarter to seed the for the cyrstals . Then continue cold stablization. Cold Satblization should be done after you have finished "Fining" the wine. (Same thing can be accomplished by setting out a Carboy in winter where temp run a moderate cold (ie no lower than -10 c average -3 c-) like now in most of Canada.)

When you are finish with the cold stablization (2 weeks or 1 month )immediately rack wine again. With whites often a good time to filter and bottle. Red offten can stand further buulk (carboy) aging, if made from grape up to the following fall from harvest.

The drop out of the crystal is natural and a good thing.