You have surely already been faced with a bottle that has deposits? But where does it come from? Is this due to poor conservation? Is this a bad sign? Or maybe a good sign? We tell you everything!
First of all, know that there are two types of deposits…
The deposit we usually encounter is that in the form of dark platelets . They are found at the bottom of the bottle or stuck to the wall when it is stored lying down (to find out more, do not hesitate to take a look at our article on wine conversation ). This type of deposit is naturally present, particularly for wines over fifteen years old, and it comes from the sedimentation of several components, such as tannins or coloring elements. You will also notice that the color of your wine has faded a little.
The other type of deposit takes the form of crystals . And this deposit is not reserved for red wines, since it can also be found in white wines! These are white crystals in white wines, whether dry or sweet, and pink crystals in red wines. This deposit is called gravel. In reality, these are tartar crystals, due to the precipitation of tartaric acid, which is naturally present in all wines.
Whatever the type of deposit, rest assured, this does not mean that the wine is not good to drink! On the contrary, it proves that the wine lives in the bottle , and that's why we have so much pleasure tasting it!
Certainly, the deposit can be quite unpleasant when tasting and you should avoid transferring it into your glass . The first technique is to leave the bottle upright before opening, in a cool place, so that the solid separates from the liquid and falls to the bottom of the bottle. You can also go through a decanting step .
In all cases, it is advisable to pour the wine delicately into the glass in order to avoid transporting the deposit from your bottle to your glass... But we are not one minute away from tasting a good wine, are we? right?!
