Reisling Wine Sediment

[Srug]

I recently bought two bottles of white reisling wine from a family run winery in Chatauqua NY. After I got all the way home... about an hour away... I noticed sediment in the bottom of both bottles. There is quiet a bit of it in both bottles and I am not sure if that is normal or if the wine is bad. It looks like lime deposit to me... that's the best way I can describe it. I have never really been 'into' wine before but I am findig a new appreciation for it. If anyone knows anything about the deposit please let me know... I am really looking forward to opening a bottle to enjoy if it is safe to drink.

[Kcwhippet]

Welcome to the Wine Board, Srug. The sediment may of more than a single origin. It may be that the winery bottles their wines unfiltered and this could be the leftover by-product of fermentation left in to add some additional character and flavor. However, I don't know many wineries that do this with Riesling. The more likely answer is that it's potassium bitartrate crystals which form when the wine has been chilled below a certain point. Many wineries cold filter their white wines to remove the tartrates, but some don't. The crystals are harmless, and you may know them in their other guise as cream of tartar. Many wineries sell the tartrates they remove from their wines to companies that clean the tartrates further, grind them to a powder and sell them to you in the Baking section of the supermarket. BTW, what's the winery you got the wine from?

[Thomas]

KC, this one doesn't sound like tartrate crystals, especially if the wine was in a warm car for a while. Plus the lime color--might be unfiltered wine or wine that was filtered but the filter did not work properly; I've had that happen to me.

If it is sediment, and if it was because of a bad filter, the danger is yeast cells might reactivate and the wine might referment.



[This message has been edited by foodie (edited 09-22-2004).]

[Srug]

The name of the winery is Schloss...it is in Ripley NY. As for the color of the sediment... I think it's white or maybe a greyish color. I haven't opened the bottles yet I just noticed the sediment and thought it was strange. I don't want to get sick on the wine... I have had that happen before... my first and last experience with red wine. i am really looking forward to enjoying the two bottles I purchased... I'm almost as excited as a kid on Christmas, but I want to make sure that I will not suffer the ill effects of turned wine. I am not so good at being able to tell by taste or smell, so I am hoping to pick the brains of a few more experienced wine lovers.

[Innkeeper]

If the wine is a little spritzy when you open it, it would secondary fermentation do to the conditions Foodie described. The problem is, that if this is the case, the sooner you drink the wine the better. Secondary fermentation can ruin the wine.

[Srug]

Sorry for all the questions but I am really very new to the wonderful world of wine. With the reisling wine... do I have to decantor it before i drink it? Someone told me they thought I did... I have never even heard of decantoring wine before. I thought it was just done as a fancy way to serve wine. Silly me!

[Innkeeper]

No, you don't have to decant it. When you first pour it into a glass, look to see if there are any bubbles. If there are, you have secondary fermentation. If there isn't any spritz, you may have either tartrate crystals which require no action on your part, or non active sediment. You should avoid the latter, by leaving it in the bottom by pouring carefully or filtering it into a glass. I would use a non-toxic coffee filter. With white wine you have the advantage of being able to see the problem.