A staff training infographic worth 1,000 words
WHY ARE THERE CRYSTALS IN MY WINE ?
BY MARNIE OLD
If you have been in the wine business long enough to have opened hundreds of bottles , chances are you ’ ve encountered some that contain tartrate crystals , either as a visible sediment at the base of the bottle , or as a gritty lining on the bottom of the cork .
The crystals are white or clear in whites and rosés , but usually look black in red wines . They can be as tiny as a grain of sand or as large as a grain of flaky sea salt . Some wines are more prone to tartrate development than others , but their raw materials are present in most wines . They are caused when a wine drops in temperature , leading some of the tartaric acid naturally present in grapes to bind with potassium in a solid , crystalline form known as potassium bitartrate .
Most wine drinkers understandably assume that crystals in wine are indications of spoilage , or even evidence of a manufacturing glitch , since these crystals can look like tiny shards of glass . However , potassium bitartrate is 100 % natural and completely harmless if ingested . In fact , when ground into powder , it is a common ingredient in baking , where it is called “ cream of tartar .”
More importantly , the presence of tartrate crystals is not an indication that a wine is defective . Rather , they can be seen as a quality indicator , since crystallization occurs far more often in high-end wines than in mass-produced bulk products . Finding these “ wine diamonds ” indicates that a winemaker has opted not to “ cold stabilize ” their wine , a process that does eradicate the possibility of crystals forming , but at the expense of stripping flavor and color from the wine .
REMOVING TARTRATE CRYSTALS FROM WINE
Tartrate crystals do not bind to glass , so they typically form on closures . Look for them on the bottom of a cork or in a ring around a screwcap .
If there are crystals in the neck of a bottle , simply wipe them away before pouring . If the dislodged crystals fall into the wine , they will settle fairly swiftly as a sediment .
To separate wine from crystalized tartrates , first let the crystals settle to the bottom of the bottle . Begin pouring the wine slowly and carefully into a clean glass or decanter . When the crystals creep upward towards the bottleneck , pause mid-stream for a moment . Hold the tilted bottle mid-air briefly to let the crystals settle again , this time along the side of the bottle . Once they ’ re in place , a swift-but-gentle sideways spin of the bottle on its axis will leave the crystals trapped clinging to the glass , suspended above the wine ’ s surface .
With the crystalline sediment safely segregated , the remaining clear wine can be poured off . If some crystals make it into your glass , a similar maneuver will allow you to pour off the clean wine from the first glass into another .
STEP ONE Allow crystals to settle to one side of a tilted bottle or glass .
STEP TWO Quickly tilt or spin toseparate the wine from the crystals .
MARNIE OLD is one of the country ’ s leading wine educators . Formerly the director of wine studies for Manhattan ’ s French Culinary Institute , she is best known for her visually engaging books published by DK such as Wine : A Tasting Course . Marnie currently serves as director of vinlightenment for Boisset Collection .
www . beveragedynamics . com May 2023 • Beverage Dynamics 9