Gus Clemens on Wine
Gus Clemens on Wine explores and explains the world of wine in simple, humorous, fun posts
Sediment in wine
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Sediment in wine

Does that gunk in my glass mean the wine is bad?
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Sediment in wine

Sometimes you may notice a “sludge-like” residue in wine in the bottle or at the bottom of your glass. Yikes!

What is it? Will it harm me? Does it mean the wine is bad?

First, it probably is distillate of elements in the wine. Normal, not a problem at all.

Second, it will not harm you, although it might taste a little bitter if you chew the crystals.

Third, it does not indicate bad wine, and often it signals good wine.

Sediment occurs in wine that is filtered and unfiltered, but more often in unfiltered wine. Since filtering takes out nuances of taste and polish, many wine lovers consider some sediment a good thing.

Compounds in wine settle over time. Depending on how wine is stored and shipped, sediment is either undisturbed and lingers on the bottom or side of the bottle (decanting can easily separate it from your wine), or

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Gus Clemens on Wine
Gus Clemens on Wine explores and explains the world of wine in simple, humorous, fun posts
Gus Clemens writes a syndicated wine column for Gannett/USA Today network and posts online reviews of wines and stories of interest to wine lovers. He publishes almost daily in his substack.com newsletter, on Facebook, on Twitter, and on his website. The Gus Clemens on Wine podcast delivers that material in a warm, user-friendly format.