Crystals Formed On Wine Cork

I assure you that it s perfectly normal to come across crystals that look like chunks of salt or rock candy in your wine.

Crystals formed on wine cork.

Many people think these clear crystals floating in the wine or stuck to the cork are salt sugar sediment or even broken glass. In fact they are harmless by products of wine and some equate their presence as a mark of quality in that the wine has not been overly manipulated in the cellar. As a result of changes in temperature these crystals are formed and are often mistaken for a flaw in the wine or even shred ded glass. You ll be relieved to know it s not glass.

Others think it s sediment but they would be incorrect as well. They typically collect on the cork or at the bottom of a wine bottle. Tartrate crystals are a harmless naturally occurring byproduct of winemaking. Some people get freaked out about it but the fact is it s totally harmless.

I have sometimes found little crystal deposits stuck to the bottom of a wine cork that look like broken glass. Sometimes referred to as wine diamonds they are indicative of good quality. Since the crystals take a very long time to dissolve once formed they will persist even if wine reaches the cork again. Wine diamonds on occasion when a bottle of wine is opened you will notice a crystalline deposit that looks like a cluster of coarse salt at the bottom of the bottle or possibly glistening at the end of the cork.

Ever pull a cork on a bottle of wine and see what looked like broken glass glued to the bottom of the cork. Although crystals are bitter they are harmless and do not affect the flavour. Sediment and tartrate crystals. Wine diamonds as they re sometimes called are tartrates that are formed when potassium or calcium and tartaric acid bind together to form crystals.

Very often in both red and white wines tartaric crys tals will form on the cork and or otherwise settle on the bottom of the bottle. As the wine evaporated back into the bottle the local concentration of potassium bitartrate increased until it reached the saturation point at which point the crystals grew. Tartrates or more lovingly wine diamonds are formed from tartaric. Don t panic those small crystals are called tartrates and they are simply a sign of how the wine was made and are harmless to you and your wine.

Both are naturally occurring products of wine grapes and you may know potassium bitartrate as cream of tartar. Sugar crystals on wine cork naturally made and un stabilized wines develop crystals which generally precipitate to the bottom of the bottle or attach themselves on the cork or the closure of the bottle.