I was reorganizing my cellar the other day and came across three half-bottles
of 1997 Ch. Guiraud. I've had them since they were released and they've been
stored in an off-site location with temp. and humidity controls.

Upon lifting and tilting one of the bottles I noticed a fair amount of what
appear to be sugar crystals floating in the wine. They resemble large dandruff
flakes and apparently had been shaken loose from the bottom of the bottle. I
quickly checked out the other two bottles and the same flakes were present. I
do not recall seeing this when I purchased them and none of my other Sauternes
has this problem.

My questions are these?

What are these things and why are they there?
Does this indicate damage of any kind?
How will this impact their age-worthiness and eventual drinkability, if at all?


Thanks in advance for your responses.

Most likely you just have a deposit of fine tartrate crystals. If so,
this is a most common thing that will not harm the wine at all. They can
be prevented by chilling the wine before bottling and filtering the
deposit formed out, but there is no need to do so. Tartrate crystals are
very common in some German Rieslings of the highest quality. I have seen
old bottles of German TBA, of the highest quality, that have a huge
amount of tartrate deposit, but this does not harm the wine at all.
There is a slight chance something else has caused the deposit, but I
would not worry about it. Since you have 3 half bottles, perhaps you
could open one soon if you are worried. Just pour the wine carefully to
avoid the solids.

(LZYLTNING) wrote:

> What are these things and why are they there?
> Does this indicate damage of any kind?
> How will this impact their age-worthiness and eventual
> drinkability, if at all?

Completely harmless: These are crystal of potassium bitartrate,
a salt of tartaric acid. The precipitation happens at cold
temperatures. Quite often this is done during winemaking, the vats
are cooled down to -2°C (28°F) for a week or two to induce
precipitation. But quite often this is not done, so it happens in
the cellar, if cellar temperatures are lower than what the wine
encountered during its making and transportation.

M.

Relax. These are Tartarate crystals and have no effect on the wine. If
they persist, just decant the wine an hour before serving.

Not a problem!

Peter Taylor


"LZYLTNING" > wrote in message
...
> I was reorganizing my cellar the other day and came across three
half-bottles
> of 1997 Ch. Guiraud. I've had them since they were released and they've
been
> stored in an off-site location with temp. and humidity controls.
>
> Upon lifting and tilting one of the bottles I noticed a fair amount of
what
> appear to be sugar crystals floating in the wine. They resemble large
dandruff
> flakes and apparently had been shaken loose from the bottom of the bottle.
I
> quickly checked out the other two bottles and the same flakes were
present. I
> do not recall seeing this when I purchased them and none of my other
Sauternes
> has this problem.
>
> My questions are these?
>
> What are these things and why are they there?
> Does this indicate damage of any kind?
> How will this impact their age-worthiness and eventual drinkability, if at
all?
>
>
> Thanks in advance for your responses.

Not only is it not a problem (fully edible but crunchy), "wine crystals" are
often an indication of intensity and extract.

With German wines, my experiences have always confirmed that their presence
fortells the drinking of a great wine. Sometimes (for reasons I cannot
explain) they will partially or entirely re-absorb back into the wine over
time.

LarryB


"Peter Taylor" > wrote in message
...
> Relax. These are Tartarate crystals and have no effect on the wine. If
> they persist, just decant the wine an hour before serving.
>
> Not a problem!
>
> Peter Taylor
>
>
> "LZYLTNING" > wrote in message
> ...
> > I was reorganizing my cellar the other day and came across three
> half-bottles
> > of 1997 Ch. Guiraud. I've had them since they were released and they've
> been
> > stored in an off-site location with temp. and humidity controls.
> >
> > Upon lifting and tilting one of the bottles I noticed a fair amount of
> what
> > appear to be sugar crystals floating in the wine. They resemble large
> dandruff
> > flakes and apparently had been shaken loose from the bottom of the
bottle.
> I
> > quickly checked out the other two bottles and the same flakes were
> present. I
> > do not recall seeing this when I purchased them and none of my other
> Sauternes
> > has this problem.
> >
> > My questions are these?
> >
> > What are these things and why are they there?
> > Does this indicate damage of any kind?
> > How will this impact their age-worthiness and eventual drinkability, if
at
> all?
> >
> >
> > Thanks in advance for your responses.
>
>