Wine with Snowflakes

All this cold and frosty weather has prompted me to write my next blog.

Have you ever wondered what the crystals are that you can occasionally find in your wine? Give the bottle a shake and it might remind you of the snow globes from your childhood, wait a minute and those crystals settle at the bottom of the bottle or glass.

These crystals are actually tartrate that are in crystal form because the wine has got cold somewhere in it’s journey from winery to consumer. Wine contains tartaric acid and this crystallises in the wine if the temperature gets too low.

In today’s world of perfection many wineries will choose to cold stabilise their wines to ensure that tartrate crystals will never form. This is done by reducing the temperature to -1 C and leaving it for 2-3 weeks before filtering the crystals out. Other wineries feel that this process could potentially remove character and flavour from the wine and choose not to.

Whatever your thoughts, these crystals are completely harmless and perhaps show that a wine is more natural and hasn’t been over processed.

So next time you find a few crystals in your wine don’t call over the waiter and tell him that you’ve got something in your wine, just impress your friends with your knowledge