i got crystals

[bg7mm]

moving some white muscadine into different wine racks earlier this morning and see this big hunk of something moving around in the bottom of the first bottle I grab, what the heck, a good look and it's a big slab of crystals, all the bottles, good or bad? a little darker yellow then the wine itself, looks cool

I wanna open a bottle just to try eating the crystals. read something here awhile back about it. how does it form or rather for what reasons? a little info on the matter greatly appreciated

 

[Julie]

These are also called wine diamonds and in Europe this is considered a high quality wine. It indicates that the grapes were ripened over a long period of time and the wine went thru a slow fermentation. It is tartaric acid and as the wine ages the crystals fall out. Most winemakers will cold stabilize to get the crystals to fall out prior to bottling.

 

[Turock]

You probably bottled too early.

Especially when you use calcium carbonate for acid adjustment, these tartaric acid crystals fall out at room temp.

 

[vernsgal]

I had a french colombard wine that I added peaches to and at 2 years developed chrystals. Tasted awesome, I just strainned into a decanter before drinking. Your wine should all be fine.As for eating the chrystals

 

[Simpsini]

I made a CC Red Mt Cab bask in Apr 2012 and began drinking it in Oct 2012 and I had wine crystals in it. However I just tried a bottle this month and there were no crystals in it. I checked the other 20 bottles I have left and didn't see any in them. Don't know if they were absorbed or what but there gone. ... That Red Mt Cab is fabulous.

 

[seth8530]

My muscadine wine dropped crystals in the carboy as it was stored as basement temp. No real bother, but I prefer to keep my wine in the crystal and the crystals out of my wine.

 

[Pumpkinman]

LMAO! Now that was funny!

 

[spaniel]

This is why I drop the temp on my wine into the low 30s for 5-7 days prior to the final rack...drop the crystals then and not in the bottle. Of course I have a spare, used refrigerator just for this purpose.

 

[Arne]

Them wine diamonds are kinda cool. I have only had it happen once, from fresh grapes. Helped smooth out the wine some. Mite happen again this year. There is a very little fresh grape wine in the basement. Arne.

 

[Simpsini]

Spaniel

So you put the carboy into the frig for 5 - 7 days prior to the final rack & the crystals fall to the bottom & you can rack the wine off them. Do you do this with all your wine or just Reds? I may have to start doing this.