Does anybody have any suggestions for me to prevent tartaric acid crystals from forming? I realize that they don't affect taste, but thy're still unsightly. Last year, I put all of my whites through a
3-4 week cold stabilization over the winter (in Maryland), and a lot of acid crystalized out. Six months later, I bottled...perfectly clear. But now, about another 6-9 months later, the whites all have wine diamonds.Any thoughts? By the way, most of my whites are in the 3.1-3.3 pH range.
Lee
Lee, You can add cream of tartar to the wine to help with the precipitation. The colder you can get it the better also.
Joe
Joe is correct, best to add the cream of Tartar when the wine is as cold as you can get it. Then if possible once the tartar has settled filter the wine. This helps remove any tartrate in suspension.
Well, I will disagree with wone thing you said, at least in a round about way. The tartaric crystals will not effect the taste of the wine. The fact that they come out will effect the taste of your wine. It will soften it when the right amount is taken out. You can force precipitate it by adding cream of tarter but you risk removing too much and ending with a flat tasting wine. I personally do not consider them unsightly. I consider them part of a properly aged wine. It just takes learning how to properly decant the wine so they do not end in the glass. If you do not want to waste the last half inch of wine in the bottle, then pore it in your own glass.
Ray
Hmmm, respectfully, Ray, seems like some sort of contradiction there.
Doesn't seem contradictory to me. What he is saying, I believe, is that the crystals in and of themselves are tasteless. But by causing their precipitation the winemaker is reducing the total acidity - which affects the wine.
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