This exclusive material is only available in full to paid subscribers. If you are a free subscriber, please consider a full subscription. If you are a paid subscriber, please consider giving a gift subscription to a friend.
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
Listen to this episode with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to Gus Clemens on Wine to listen to this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.