What is with all this sediment?

[Glass_A_Day]

I usually keep 10-15 cases of 10-15 buck stuff in the cellar for everyday use. Lately I have noticed that every bottle from Cab to Syrah to Zin that is in the older part of the rotation is loaded with sediment. Now I'm not talking 95-98 vintage stuff. This is all 01 and mostly newer. I pop 90-99 cabs and Italians of quality (read:$$) without this issue. Is this the norm for cheapo bottles in everyones experience? It's not a huge deal, it just leads to a suprise at the end of the night on the palet if I'm not carefull...

[hotwine]

There does seem to be a tendency to go the "unfiltered, unfined" route these days in winemaking. Haven't read or heard about it, just confirm it through own experience. Have to be wary of that last glass.

[Kcwhippet]

I don't think you're alone, GAD. Had some Coffaro ( that be David, not Joe, WW). It, was a 2002 David Coffari Barbera, but it was 75% Barbera. The rest was Pinot Noir, Carignan, Petite Srah and Zinfandel. Good stuff.

Oops, forgot to mention that it was chock full o' sediment. Big chunks.

[This message has been edited by Kcwhippet (edited 04-23-2006).]

[Glass_A_Day]

Yes, it varies from chunks to a fine coating on the inside of the bottle. I actually prefer the chunks as I can decant and watch for them. The fine coating (no matter how gently I pour) disovles as I decant leaving my wine with a nice cloudy appearence. Seems to be no way around it unless I drink them all sooner. I am thinking that from now on 6 bottles of any given wine is enough and would allow me to get to them before this all starts.

[Innkeeper]

For fine sediment, and you have to know it's there to begin with, stand bottle up for a couple of hours, then pour very slowly and run the last little bit through a coffee filter. I know of no other way to catch it. Some people just leave some of the wine in the bottom of bottle.

The gloppy stuff can be caught with a decanter filter.

[Thomas]

If you are storing in a cool cellar it might not all be sediment, especially the chunk stuff. One way to tell is to look at the cork. If the sediment clinging to the cork is lighter in color it might be cream of tartar.

It could be tartaric precipitation--or it could be both tartaric and sediment.

In $10-15 wines perhaps the producer neither filters nor cold stabilizes.