Attention wine club members! Have you ever noticed layers of something at the bottom of a wine bottle? What the heck is that! It’s called sediment, but not to worry — it’s the harmless by product of fermentation and solids that drift to the bottom of the bottle. Although it can be found in both red and white wines, typically you’ll find this in red wines that are at least 10 years old.
Sediment is NOT a flaw in the wine. In fact, it is often the result of an artisan winemaker choosing to bottle wine unfiltered to create deeper color and richer texture. This is a handcrafting technique used in high-end wines made for aging.
Sediment can be either tiny crystals (tartrates) or bits of leftover grapes and yeast (lees). Both types are harmless, but since no one (especially not our wine club members) wants to drink cloudy wine, it’s best to rid the wine of the sediment. How to do this?
If you have time, stand the bottle upright for day (or two) to collect the sediment at the bottom of the bottle. Then slowly pour the wine into a decanter, leaving the last few sips in the bottle. If you don’t want to miss a drop or can’t wait, decant the wine through an unbleached coffee filter to catch any bits.
To get the whole story, watch this video:
And savor every clear drop!
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