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Sediment is the solid material that settles to the bottom of any wine container, such as a bottle, vat, tank, cask, or barrel. Sediment is a highly heterogeneous mixture which at the start of wine-making consists of primarily dead yeast cells ( lees) the insoluble fragments of grape pulp and skin, and the seeds that settle out of new wine. At subsequent stages, it consists of
619
url=https://archive.org/details/oxfordcompaniont00janc/page/619, url-access=registration
Sediment is the solid material that settles to the bottom of any wine container, such as a bottle, vat, tank, cask, or barrel. Sediment is a highly heterogeneous mixture which at the start of wine-making consists of primarily dead yeast cells ( lees) the insoluble fragments of grape pulp and skin, and the seeds that settle out of new wine. At subsequent stages, it consists of Tartrate
A tartrate is a salt or ester of the organic compound tartaric acid, a dicarboxylic acid. The formula of the tartrate dianion is O−OC-CH(OH)-CH(OH)-COO− or C4H4O62−.
The main forms of tartrates used commercially are pure crystalline ta ...
s, and from red wines Phenolic polymers as well as any insoluble material added to assist clarification.
Sediments in bottled wines are relatively rare, and usually, signal a fine wine that has already spent some years in the bottle. So unaccustomed have modern consumers become that many (erroneously) view it as a fault. Many winemakers therefore take great pains to ensure that the great majority of wines made today (especially those designed to be drunk within their first few years) will remain free of sediment for this time. Wines designed for long bottle aging, on the other hand, frequently deposit crystals of tartrates, and in addition, red wines deposit some pigmented tannins
Tannins (or tannoids) are a class of astringent, polyphenolic biomolecules that bind to and precipitate proteins and various other organic compounds including amino acids and alkaloids.
The term ''tannin'' (from Anglo-Norman ''tanner'', f ...
. Winemakers deliberately leave more tartrates and phenolics in wines designed for long aging in the bottle so that they are able to develop the aromatic compounds that constitute a bouquet.{{cite book, last=Robinson, first=Jancis, title=The Oxford Companion To Wine, year=2006, publisher=The Oxford University Press, isbn=0198609906, page619
url=https://archive.org/details/oxfordcompaniont00janc/page/619, url-access=registration
See also
*Decanter
A decanter is a vessel that is used to hold the decantation of a liquid (such as wine) which may contain sediment. Decanters, which have a varied shape and design, have been traditionally made from glass or crystal. Their volume is usually equ ...
References