Sediment in wine makes people nervous. You pour a glass and notice something floating, or a film of dark residue at the bottom of the bottle, and the instinct is to wonder if something went wrong. Nothing went wrong.

Sediment is a natural byproduct of wine aging. In red wines, it is typically made up of
tannins and pigments that have bonded together and fallen out of solution over time. In some white wines and sparkling wines, you may see tiny crystals — tartrates, formed when tartaric acid from the grapes crystallizes in cool temperatures. In both cases, what you are looking at is chemistry doing what chemistry does. It is harmless, and in older wines, it is often a sign that something interesting has been happening in the bottle.

WHAT TO DO ABOUT IT

For older red wines with visible sediment, decant. Pour slowly into a clean pitcher or decanter with a light source behind the bottle — a candle or a phone flashlight works perfectly — and stop pouring when you see the sediment start to move toward the neck. Leave the last half-inch in the bottle. That's all there is to it.

For tartrate crystals, you can do nothing at all. They are flavorless and harmless. Some
people filter them out for aesthetic reasons. Some people ignore them entirely. The Count has opinions about which approach is more sensible.

A NOT WORTH MAKING: heavily filtered wine is often wine with some of the texture and
character filtered out along with the sediment. Some of the most interesting
wines you will encounter will have a little something at the bottom. That's
usually a good omen.

Cheers!— The Count

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