White wine sediment stuck to sides of tank?

[ronconway]

First time post to the forum...

I just bottled 15 gallons of Sauvignon Blanc that I made in 3-5 gallon stainless soda kegs. The wine is great!

Once secondary fermentation was complete, I cold stabilized the wine fo a month in a chest freezer that was set to 36 degrees. I use a vinotemp wine cabinet set at 59 degrees for temperature controlled bulk storage after that.

I have a question about the sediment left in the tanks. It is not like I normally get when I use glass carbouys. The sediment is stuck to the sidewalls of the tank, and I mean all the way to the top of the liquid level. Clean up is a little difficult because I really have to scrub the side walls to remove the sediment. I've never seen this before. What is causing this? Can I doo something different to prevent this from happening again?

 

[Tom]

When you cold stabilize you will get tartaric (sp) crystals. Thats what you have. Soak it in HOT water and that should take care of it.

tartaric crystals
Newly fermented wine is supersaturated with natural potassium bitartrate (cream of tartar). If not removed from the wine, chilling the wine will result in the precipitation of the tartrates into glass-like crystals commonly referred to as "wine crystals."
In order to insure the wine's clean and clear appearance for the consumer, these potential sediments are removed from the young wine by one of three methods:

Ion Exchange - a sophisticated chemical process.
Seeding - Adding certain chemicals to the wine then chilling (25-30øF) for one to two days.
Chilling - The wine is chilled to 25-35øF for three to five weeks.
It should be pointed out that these crystals are harmless, tasteless and do not detract from the flavor of a wine. In German wines their presence is a sign of quality.

 

[ronconway]

Thanks Tom,

I'll hot soak them next time. I'm guessing the tartaric crystals stick to the stainless easier than glass because I've never had this happen while using glass.

 

[smurfe]

I use Oxy Clean or PBW (Pro Brewers Wash) to clean my stainless conical and my brewing sculpture. It takes beer stone, trub, burnt wort, etc. right off. I don't even have to scrub if I leave it to soak over night. PBW works best and is stronger but Oxy CLean works well as well when I am out of PBW.